A magic trick
by iram0123
Summary: Angry tears nearly spill over, as she opens her mouth and spits words out in anger and detest. "I did not do this out of pity or foolishness." A magician and her cat end up in an unfamiliar place because of a one single spell. Parsley may as well start having a panic attack. (ON HIATUS)
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

* * *

 **There are people who are foolish and there are those who are stupid. I have my own vision how to separate these two words. I have moments, when I call myself stupid or foolish and there is a way, I choose which one of these two to use.**

* * *

"Lookie here! The bitch is fucking scared!" The mocking, sick amusement is not missing from that voice. The laughter that follows sends chills down her spine, but that is to be expected. This person had threatened to kill her earlier and the others were not so much better than this evil incarnate. The laughter is a sound that could make anyone's skin crawl.

"I think she is going to pee her pants, hm." This voice is not expressing its own laughter with loudness, but by the tone that it used. Though, the third laughter follows soon after.

Parsley's knees are actually buckling against one another. What she experiences is the purest form of terror, but it is so strong that she can't move an inch with her shaky limbs. Unshed tears are already burning, none have fallen down, yet – at least, she doesn't think so. To these demons, monster, disgusting, revolting, _terrifying,_ creatures that have had their hands soaked in blood, she is a weakling. A trapped mouse that has no way to escape from the darkness, from their grasp. She has nowhere to hide, run to or anyone to hear her screams of help.

 _Why is this happening to me?_

The air around her feels like it is becoming colder by many degrees, despite the fact that she is sweating. Her hands are slippery. Her friend is nowhere in sight to share any comfort or reassurance, so the poor brown-haired woman is all alone. But she is not. Far from that.

The thought is almost laughable, how she, who never wanted to have anything to do with this, ended up being surrounded by killers. If Parsley's mind would not be so numb right now, she would start laughing hysterically. The endless blackness around her is driving her mad. The laughers are breaking every piece of confidence that there is.

New voices keep popping up and Parsley tenses up from every one of them. They are the voices of those that could, more like would, be her doom.

"Can we just get this over with? This girl is a waste of time."

* * *

 **Stupid is a word I use on myself, whenever I make or do something because of obliviousness to consequences or I'm lacking in the brain department. It is close to someone who doesn't know what one plus two is, in my opinion. Dumb, braindead and an airhead are what I could be from time-to-time.**

 **Or, maybe I am also stupid, because I am naïve, too.**

* * *

 _Please, please, please, please, please, please let this be over._

Frantic heartbeat rings in her ears that are being bitten by the chilly air. Parsley doesn't understand why there is almost no light around her. The only thing she mostly sees are vibrating outlines of large forms. Another cold shiver shakes her body, every sense active.

" _Girl_."

She isn't a child, but an adult. Yet, the brunette might look like a shaking child afraid of trolls jumping out of the closet. However, she manages to lift her eyes that are probably angry red and glittering from salty drops. The eyes that stare back at her are piercing and she wishes to look away immediately. If she would, nothing good would become of it, though.

Obey, listen and stay alive.

For a moment, she dares, _dares_ to look to the side and see her friend on the ground. Red color against the bluish shaded fur is being covered by the shadows and golden eyes have not yet been opened. It isn't even certain, if he is still breathing. But if he is, he certainly wouldn't survive long enough.

Although, she is afraid, Parsley can't deny how hot and white anger clashes against the fear with full force. They struggle, mix, forming a color that is murky brown like a dirty puddle.

"You shall answer my questions." The voice leaves no room for an argument. Suffocating any sound of protest on the lips. "Do you understand?"

All that Parsley does is nod weakly and keeps her frozen gaze on the one who is addressing her. Even with their distance, a snap and her neck could be broken or something that is far worse than a quick death.

* * *

 **As for the word 'foolish'... I use it when my emotions get the best of me. When that little part of me that I call my human consciousness starts gripping and squeezing my heart, demanding for me to choose what it wants. It is supposed to be the right path that I take for it, but that is not how life works.**

 **I know how to use my head, I know what kind of place I live in. Though, the world of a magician doesn't always meet with the reality. Magic is what we harvest, after all.**

 **That is why I am writing this, to not get drowned by reality and by the** **horror** **I am witnessing.**

 **How can these things be human?**


	2. Chapter 1: Only one mistake

_Chapter 1_

 _Only one mistake_

* * *

If someone would have walked past that single apartment, on the Cinnamon street, next to a flourishing park that was blooming with different kinds of sweet-scented flowers, they could have heard a dull thud from the inside. The whole building was a simple one, with cream white walls and lovely, tall windows with small terraces that had black railings. The design of the whole structure is somewhat old-fashioned, but so are the rest of the colorful houses that stand next to it with dark or hay covered roofs. On some, the people living in the houses have placed bright flowers on the windowsill and they move gently with the breeze that blows across the whole length of the stone road that leads to the harbor of the small town. The whole place is pretty much covered with old-fashioned buildings, from houses to stores and small cafes. It is a fairly popular place for those that seek peaceful and quiet environments and wonderful sea views. This is mostly the reason that brings tourists to it in the first place.

To put it simply the town is too peaceful and a happy place for anyone to get depressed easily. At least, that was what Parsley has always thought, but currently she is at the bottom of abyss of depression, or still falling. As for the strange sound that came from that single, cream hued house, she repeats it by letting her forehead meet with the wood of her desk for the second time.

 _It's no use._ Parsley presses her cheek against a piece of paper, the scent stinging her nostrils. The color of the paper is much like the house's – delicate and dark curves of the letters written on it form many words and sentences. They all could be read within ten minutes or less, but Parsley has gone through the whole letter several times already. And every time it brought a dark cloud over her head and weighted her shoulders down like a boulder. _Another rejection._

Sphynx can't handle it anymore. His large golden eyes keep on glancing at the back that is covered with wavy lengths of hair that have not been brushed properly for a full day at least. The strands poke out to different directions and the blue sweater Parsley is wearing does not stop the electricity currents from running over every piece of hair on her head. It can't be helped, though. Sphynx's friend has not been able to relax on this particular day for only one reason that is making her frown deepen.

The cat jumps up to the desk and Parsley stays oblivious to his presence. Her hazel eyes are half-opened with many swirls of emotions mixing in their dull depths. She is totally absorbed in her own thoughts. Sphynx knows that leaving her like this would only make the pregnant silence in the room worse. So, he decides to rub his head against her arm and purr.

That does it and Parsley snapped back to reality. She doesn't smile but snuggles closer to her friend. Her next words come out like a whimper of a child's: "Sphynx, what do I do now?"

The cat doesn't say anything, simply keeps sharing his warmth. No words could make Parsley feel better right now.

She finally leans back against the chair and raises her head. Silently trying to force gathering tears back into her eyes. "Mama and papa are waiting for me to call them and tell the results. They are going to be _so_ disappointed."

"They will worry about your wellbeing more than any of that," Sphynx says, his silky voice soothing, but not making Parsley feel any better. He sees it from the way her eyes fall again.

She had tried, truly tried this time. Went all the trouble and got those spell books from the libraries, practiced making potions as much as she could without blowing up the house and learned formulas. The preparations for the exams had taken months and Parsley swore she had never tried that hard in her life. Some part of her had even believed that she could get into the Golden-Light University, but now that she has seen the results every part of her being is crushed. No doubt her family would also feel the same way. Just before the day of the exam her parents had smiled encouragingly and made her favorite breakfast. Eggs, bacon and some salad with cucumbers and freshly baked bread – all of that goodness had been wasted.

The rejection letter is too cruel. The people that wrote it couldn't just stand up and tell the face slapping news to those that failed face-to-face. Though, maybe that is better. Nobody likes to see the look of pity in the eyes of a stranger.

Parsley looks down at her right hand and sees the index finger which has a bandage around it. It had come from a page of a book that she had read on the final studying day. Orick had joked and called it "a wound of victory", but now it was more like "a wound of defeat". He was another one who Parsley had to tell about the results. Seeing his reactions would be almost as hard as to her parents.

"I'm a failure." Forehead meets with the desk, again.

Sphynx's ears twitch. "Don't say that, when you are not."

"Yes, I am. I couldn't get to a university-"

"Yes, you did. The Daisy University, remember?" The cat flinches, when she let out a whimper. Things are not looking too good.

"That is where those without any other option go!" She covers her head with her hands. Her shoulders are shaking, and her next words are slightly muffled. "I don't get it! I studied, _studied_ Sphynx! I tried so hard and - and even got Orick to tutor me. There were many that applied t-to Golden-Light, but I - I thought that there was even a little chance that I might get in... And now it is clear as a day that no matter what I do _nothing_ is going to work! Everything is like during few summers ago, when we went to Uncle Kenny's boat and I thought that I could drive it and then it went out of control and father had to use metal magic to bend the engine. A new engine cost a lot and I couldn't bear to look at Uncle until few months ago, but now here comes another disappointment - oh, no! There is another incident that happened when I was in kindergarten-"

"Parsley! You're babbling," Sphynx's voice says as calmly as he can. The mood his owner is in affects him as well, because the ends of his fur are starting to stand up. He rubbs his head against Parsley's arm for the second time.

This time, though, Parsley strokes his blue hued fur back and reveals her puffy eyes. When the cat sees them, he licks a trail of water from her cheek and lets her hug him against her chest. The scent of books, wool and shampoo are strong on her and he inhales all of thosewith a pleased purr leaving from his throat. This is one of the only ways to cheer her up and though he doesn't enjoy physical contact that often, he does it now to make Parsley feel better. The entrance exams were truly a frightening thing.

Parsley does not want to look at the letter anymore. She simply presses her face against Sphynx's back and mulls her thoughts together inside her head. The paths the young woman has to choose lead to a brick wall, expect for one. And that is going to the university that had accepted her. The thought of going there makes her stomach drop, though. It isn't that it is in a bad place, the location is fine enough and the teachers are supposedly nice. It was simply that Parsley didn't want to be seen going to one of the universities where anyone could get in easily enough. Not to mention they don't have that great of a magical program.

 _What am I going to do?_ The question is like a silent prayer to a God. Parsley wishes for answers.

"I will quit magic."

"Eh?" From their closeness, Parsley can feel how Sphynx stiffens. "But isn't magic something you have wanted to become good at since you were little? Please, don't quit it just because of this stupid letter."

Parsley shakes her head, the waves of amber brown sliding down from her shoulders. The memories of her innocent dream blooming is making needles poke her heart. She remembers how those fantasies had first started, how she clung to them ever since and went ahead to try and achieve them. Parsley's father had showed to be quite proud of her dream and mother had supported their daughter as well from the beginning.

"It shows how good I am in it in the first place. Being a magician... is simply a childhood dream that I haven't been able to let go. The truth is that I am not good in magic. I am truly a... _failure_ ," The hazel eyed woman nearly forces that word out with great difficulty. "I will pursue another career."

Something snaps in the cat and this time he hisses and lets the blue fur stand up to its tips. The tail also lifts up dangerously and he jumps away from Parsley hold, golden eyes gleaming. "Now listen here! Fix up that attitude of yours and straighten up! It is troublesome!"

The woman stiffens and her back becomes straight as an arrow. The two black lines against the bright color look as piercing as arrows and send shivers down her spine. Sphynx seems almost feral.

"You read and practiced for the exams! I saw it with my own two eyes. You desperately wanted to get to the Gold-Light and this white thing is not a prove of how good you are and how good you can become. Neither can those blind, old kooks in that rotten university. So, we are going to do this," his tone is final, and he doesn't wait for Parsley's reaction, when he is already tearing the letter with his sharp claws.

The hazel eyes widen, and the flushed cheeks go deadly pale. All that Parsley can do is stare as pieces of paper spread across her desk like snowflakes in winter. The sight somehow sends a sensation of electricity shock through her body and the weights on her shoulders are lifted bit by bit. If the letter had been any other, Parsley might have gotten angry at Sphynx who is usually relaxed and prefers to keep his paws clean. But this, she guesses is his way of trying to make her feel better.

 _Still, couldn't he save it for later? What if I will need that in the future?_

"Now that that is done, you shall practice your magic," the cat states easily and stretches his back.

Parsley's face stiffens, and she shakes her head, recovering from shock. "No. I already told you that I do not want to continue this, Sphynx."

"No, that is your self-consciousness speaking."

The golden eyed cat doesn't wait for her to speak another word, when he is already at the door. He slips away, the long graceful tail disappearing with him and the sound of his paws hitting the mattress on the hallway is nonexistent.

"No! I will quit!" Parsley's eyebrows are knitted together, and she whirls around on her chair to face away from the half-open door.

She fumes, arms crossed across her chest in a stubborn manner. Few pieces of the torn paper flow away from the breeze her movement makes, but she doesn't care so much to pick them up. This is not something she was planning on backing down from. Everything has already been set and she doesn't want to feel that crushing disappointment for the second time in her life. The tenseness that had lasted all morning has finally ended, even if the ending is not a happy one. It is still a huge relief that the silent and anxious wait is over.

When every child is young and starts practicing magic, it is all fun and games, but when the reality of their studies sets in all the joy will be gone. Well, not completely. The happy smiles on their parents faces make the studies feel worthwhile and so the work continues. The spells, formulas, diagrams etc. become harder with every year. Being a magician, will sometimes be dangerous, too, if you can't control the magic right or mess up a spell. According to some relatives of those unfortunate ones, the deaths they suffered were either gruesome or quick. That was why it was best to seek a career as a magic teacher, for example. It would have basic instructions of what kind of spells to use, so risks were pretty low. Though, Parsley didn't want to become a teacher, but work as a magical healer. But both with her personality and grates, that kind of job was and is quite far away for her to reach it easily.

 _I am an idiot. I am not even interested in herbs and healing._ She starts combing her fingers through her hair. They get stuck on knots.

"Parsley, do you not care what becomes of this?" The question is sudden and taunting, when the cat returns to the door, but this time he is dragging a book along.

At first, Parsley frowns in confusion from not knowing why Sphynx is holding such a thing in the first place. However, when she sees the color and cover, ice entered into her veins. A shaky breath is released from her dry throat without much of a thought. _Oh no, he isn't..._

"Sphynx, give me that book, _now._ "

"Why won't we just throw it away?" The golden irises clash with hazel, becoming an intense staring competition. "You don't care about magic anymore, so this a good opportunity to discard this old thing."

Parsley inhales quietly, glancing down at the claws that dance dangerously close to the leathered cover. She can't believe what Sphynx is trying to do.

"Please, don't. That book belonged to grandma and dad surely doesn't want it to be destroyed." She could already imagine his look filled with hurt, suppressed sadness and anger.

"He gave it to you. It is _you_ who decides what will happen to it," Sphynx states with a gleam in his slit pupils. If he was able to smile, he would be doing it right now to taunt her.

"Sphynx," the hazel eyed woman says the name with a pressure on her tone. She raises her arms, trying to emphasize her feelings towards the cat. "I can't do this anymore. Let's just forget about magic and focus on things that are more important."

"That is why I am doing this. To make sure that you will focus on thingsthatare _more_ important _._ "

"Don't tempt me to pull your whiskers off," Parsley uses a low voice. But they both know that she is bluffing. "This is my decision; can't you respect it?"

"You're giving up-"

"Of course, I am giving up! What else did you honestly expected from me? Did you think that I want to try again next year? No way! And before you say anything else, this isn't about you, my parents or anyone, besides myself. I am doing this so that I don't have to get slapped across the face for a second time! Do you even _understand_ what entrance exams are like?"

A heavy silence follows. Parsley has not realized that she has bolted up to stand during her short speech, but it makes her feel more powerful against the cat. Sphynx doesn't flinch or show much reaction from her words, nor when she raised her voice. His sharp ears twitch, though. It had been a while, since their last argument with each other.

"...At least perform one spell, Parsley. I'm asking you to do one spell and then you can decide what you will do," Sphynx draws his claws away from the book, never taking his eyes off from the long-haired woman.

Parsley weights those words in her mind. Her own gaze drift to the spell book on the floor and then her stomach starts twisting in discomfort. Right now, Sphynx is like a compromising mother, like both of her parents re. The bluish hued cat is a stubborn one, but his owner start to think that he has truly threatened her few seconds ago to get his own will through. That certainly is new, and it somehow makes her feel a little worried. Though, suspicions melt away from the sight of his eyes twinkling with pure innocence. Those are puppy eyes he is using – very affecting. Parlsey starts playing with her hair, twirling strands between her fingers, before gathering the whole mass of it and putting it over her right shoulder. Her fingers feel the rough surface of a knots and she finds it irritating

The silence continues, and the minutes tick by, but the hazel eyed woman can't form an answer just like that. The cat is waiting patiently next to the old book that has many different and old spells. The female is easily cracked, in his opinion at least. Or it could also mean that he knows her quite well and what to do to get her to his side. First, she would lick her lower lip, cross her arms, pace around the room and finally give in.

That all happens. Parsley tastes the lip balm on the tip of her tongue – _vanilla_ – and it leaves a soft aftertaste. To create some sort of barrier, she crosses her arms and shifts her weight from one foot to another. Then, she can't stand still any longer and makes her way to the window, looks at the house on the opposite side of the road and then heads back to sit down on a chair. Her hazel eyes are clouded by thoughts, but they clear after a while. She lets out a sigh. _Honestly._

Sphynx opens his mouth in a way that is like a perfect picture of a Cheshire cat grin. The ends of his sharp teeth make it more realistic.

"Fine," Parsley sigh again, but raises her index finger. "But only one. And not something that might cause an explosion, melting, a fire, a flood, turn something into something that it is not supposed to be and especially not a spell that could give me a one-way ticket to jail."

The cat's tail flickers to the left and right. "It happened only once, and you survived."

"Barely!"

* * *

"...yes, yes, mama. I hear you. Bye! Say hello to Orick and papa for me," Parsley cut the line and places the phone back into her pocket.

Sphynx watches her from on top of a short tree trunk. Curiously tilting his head, the long tail swings against the ground a few times. "What did she say?"

He sees how she flinches a bit, like she has forgotten his existence for a moment. And she had. Her heartbeat is quite fast, currently and it isn't surprise that he can hear it.

It wasn't that her mother had been upset or sounded disappointment... Well, at least that is what Parsley thinks. Her mind is already creating pictures of her most beloved mother's face turning into a frown that could make her daughter's inner organs twist in unease. Paige Longboard is not truly someone who would be angry or show any negative emotions towards her family member who hadn't passed some important exam. In fact, Orick, her eldest child and son had not passed on his first try either, so there had not been any reason for her youngest child to worry. All she had asked from her daughter was that if she was alright, needed comfort or an advice. Heartwarming, but not reassuring enough for her offspring.

The wavy-haired young woman tries even now to believe that her mother was genuinely worried for her. But, of course, she is and was doubting that with every second that had passed during their conversation. She can't believe how she was acting like a child showing her parents a bad number from a simple test. Not to mention the whole conversation had lasted for at least ten minutes and it had been like half an hour for her. Parsley desperately wants to get this all over with.

"She said...that she is worried. Also, I told her that I wanted to tell papa and Orick about this myself, so she will keep quiet about this whole call - can we just do this already?" The last sentence comes out a bit rushed. Parsley takes in a deep breath and lets it out, a white cloud hovers in front of her head.

The cat chooses wisely to get down to business. He jumps down to the ground and in front of a book, flips some pages and finally stops on a certain opening. "I think that this spell will work just fine. It is a simple transport spell that needs only a little amount of your magical energy. Plus, the command spell is not that difficult either."

"Great," the sarcasm on the woman's tone is not missed or acknowledged by Sphynx. "Soooo, what are the chances of me blowing up this place?"

"You will not blow anything up, Parsley."

"That is what mama said, before the roses were all turned to ashes," Parsley mutters under her breath, her fingers frozen numb from the cold wind that keeps on blowing against her equally numb face.

Now, it is not a cold season, but rather the air that flows around this area. She and Sphynx have walked up to the highest spot available for a normal person and where it is always quite chilly, especially during evening and night times. The story of such an unusual climax near the sea and in one of the warmest places in the magic world has something to do with, surprise, surprise, magic. Some wizards once upon a time tried to test weather magic and the result was the Windy Mountains that the two are staring at right now. Everyone thinks that there is no originality in the name at all, but it is one of the reasons why people come there – anything strange can attract anyone.

For the first time since the two of them left the house, Parsley looks down at the spell book and raises both of her eyebrows. The spell is truly an easy one and that is surprising considering how much her cat loves those difficult and complex ones. Or he likes to laugh, whenever she messes them up. No doubt he chose this one because it is written on a much younger looking, separated paper with a familiar handwriting. This spell is the first one that Parsley's father had taught her.

"You have your wand?" Sphynx jumps easily on her shoulder, he weights almost the same amount as her bag.

"Of course," Parsley says with an eye roll and pulls out a wooden stick with a green stone attached to the handle. "Can't I _not_ use the wand on this one?"

Sphynx lets out a huff. "I can't have you collapsing in here."

"Jeez. Thank you for having such a faith in me."

 _It's your own funeral._

They stay silent after that. The cat glancing at Parsley from her shoulder. He sees anxiousness and worry clearly written on her eyes and expression. Despite the cold, he can feel how her body heat starts to rise from the way the blood keeps rushing inside her veins. The heartbeat is also becoming quicker and her scent becomes stronger as well. The wand in her shaking hand is raised towards the bag that is laying a several feet ahead.

She doesn't know what she is doing. Parsley does not understand why she has been so easily manipulated into this, by her cat, nonetheless. Many horrible memories keep pushing themselves into her mind, reminding her constantly of what has always occurred from her and spells together. That may also be a little extravagating, because she can do some basic things. Still, compared to others that have studied as long as Parsley has, she is on the very bottom of the skill list. And that is why she can't stop her hand from trembling or the fears and uneasiness from entering her brain.

 _I so hope that cats really have nine lives... And that I remembered to take the phone out of the bag._

The cold wind blow again, as the magician starts to read the spell out loud.

 _"O winds of north and south_

 _Come forth without a doubt_

 _Change the course of shape_

 _To give or take."_

The green stone seems to glow and soon the glowing gets brighter. Small lights floats around it and gathers to the tip of the wand like fireflies.

Parsley tries to concentrate on directing the magic from herself to the magical object in her hands. Sphynx shifts closer to her so that his side is pressed against her head, the brown strands mixing with blue fur.

 _"There is an object_

 _None it shall reject_

 _Through this force_

 _Change the course."_

Both of them must be so enchanted by the glowing and what is happening that neither the cat or magician see how the wind starts to turn the pages. It stops a little before Parsley looks down at it again.

She doesn't notice that it is not the page that she has to read.

 _ **"By the tears of Frigg**_

 _ **By the anger of Woden**_

 _ **Bend down the wills of Earth**_

 _ **Turn around the laws of the skies**_

 _ **Shed blood of a lamb**_

 _ **Thou' rip open the gates."**_

Suddenly, Parsley starts feeling strange. The hand holding the wand is shaking more badly than before, but now that the words are coming out of her mouth, she can't stop them from flowing out.

Sphynx is shouting something to her through the horrible wind, despite the fact that she can't hear him. Nor see how strange symbols start circling on the ground around her trembling legs.

 _ **"Wipe away the lines in-between**_

 _ **Show the nearest path."**_

The poor magician doesn't realize that something is truly wrong, before it is too late for that. Her voice continues echoing in the forest, even after the final light of the sun vanishes to the horizon. The only source of light comes from the pentagram beneath her.

 _ **"Rip away the poor souls**_

 _ **Pieces of this world**_

 _ **Set them straight**_

 _ **Hesitate not o great ones**_

 _ **For thy are the walls**_

 _ **Open yourselves**_

 _ **Accept this morsel of the land**_

 _ **Plant this seed**_

 _ **Let the rivers flow**_

 _ **O the forces of this land**_

 _ **Take away this flesh and blood.**_ _ **"**_

* * *

Parsley feels it all. The way the fire consumes her bit by bit, but her body doesn't turn to ashes or fall off. It is like the flames are meant to continue burning on and on and torture her like a simple ragdoll. She can't struggle against the power that tears her up or even scream on top of her lungs. The gravity hits, piercing her flesh like a knife – her limbs a sensation like they are being pulled apart from the rest of her body.

The loud noises around her pound against the fragile ears that would probably start bleeding sooner or later. Parsley isn't a total crybaby who bawls from small wounds, but this is not anything close to that. The best way to describe it is sheer agony, the kind that is pure and raw. Breaking your bones, tearing the muscles and veins until nothing is left. And the worst part is that you can't tell when it all is going to stop.

The pain is making it impossible to think and Parsley's sight is blinded by it. White is the only color she can see, and it doesn't tell much. She could be surrounded by a very thick mist or crushed by a mass of heavy snow. The latter one possible option. The burning around her is far from the coldness of that white substance.

The torture becomes agonizingly fierce. The tearing, crushing and pulling doubles the amount of pain they already caused. Now, even if someone wants to scream from this, they couldn't. That is how terrible this is.

Parsley tastes something for the first time what feels like ages or maybe hours.

Metallic taste spreads across her burning tongue. The thick liquid is like a plug in the woman's throat. She can't breathe properly in the first place, but now she can't even draw in even smallest amount of air. She tastes the blood, smells it, chokes on it and manages to form a single thought.

It is a scream that would not leave from her lips.

 _ **MAKE IT STOP!**_

As if hearing her prayers, the torturing pains stop their work and she falls limp. But they have done their work and left the body numb and throbbing. Parsley is free to breathe again, but the blood makes her cough and sends waves of sharp pain. Her throat burns.

Instead of heat of the flames, the surface below her back feels cold. Not as cold as ice or snow, but chilly and wet like autumn evening after rain. The difference in sensation is somewhat making the brunette feel relieved that she is not in that horrible place anymore. The change is astounding.

Hot tears burn her eyes, though – she hadn't noticed them before. If she wasn't in so much pain right now, Parsley would curl into a ball and sob. Why is she in this kind of state in the first place?

She tries to move, but stops, when her bones feel like they start breaking. New amount of iron liquid spurts from the depths of her mouth and she coughs, strangled cry leaving from the bloodied lips and crimson drops fall on the skin of her cheeks. Head spinning, Parsley lays as still as a rock.

Through blurry vision, the magician catches a glimpse of mixed colors.

 _It hurts!_

"Parsley!"

And that is how relaxing fails, because Sphynx clearly yelled into her ringing ears. The sharp pain that shoots through her skull releases a cry out of her and that causes another chain reaction for pain.

Through the blood in her mouth, Parsley tries speaking. "L...loud."

Her mouth and throat feel chapped, as soon as the sound leaves them.

The cat must have winced from the rough and loud coughing that comes out of his owner after that single word. However, the woman can't tell what his reaction is for certain. Her eyelids are both closed again, but there is a clear brightness shining through the eyelids and it makes her eyes hurt and face wrinkle. The pain she has in her head is close to a massive hangover and even moving her face muscles is more than a bit hard.

Someone is drumming inside her skull.

"Sorry," Sphynx thankfully whispers that one quietly. "Thank the whiskers you are awake. How do you feel? Oh, on the second thought, don't answer that. Don't try moving too much, though."

 _No need to tell me twice,_ Parsley nearly chuckles uncomfortably, but doesn't. Instead, her amusement is muffled by the question – and the pain still ripping through her – that she is trying to find an answer to. Where are they?

She wishes that the golden eyed cat could have given her that answer, but she isn't too keen in the idea of speaking and coughing again. The blood drips down her throat and her stomach turns around in disgust. The taste is terrible enough and knowing what it really is makes the experience even more revolting and chilly. The brunette relaxes, though, when she feels a familiar wet nose touch her cheek. Rough, but warm tongue licks the skin and makes every uneasiness fade away from her body. If the situation is fetal or dangerous, Sphynx would have sounded and done something else entirely to get her stand up. Instead, he is calm and sounds extremely relieved and so is Parsley.

They are both alive.

"You must stay down for the time being. You have lost too much magical energy."

Parsley nearly repeats those words as a question out loud. The gears in her head starting to move and turn around, as she recalls memories which fill her head one by one… _That is right._

She desperately wants to hide somewhere. The way the wand had started absorbing her magic had been a little strange, but Parsley had not thought much of it.

 _I messed up._

It is the stress and confusion from the agony a while ago that causes tears slide down her cheeks. She really can't control her magic. Is the forest even still intact?

Her silent question gets an answer from the chirping of birds. Everything must still be intact, unlike her.

...

...

...

...

"Sphynx."

"Yes, Parsley?"

"Why am I covered with leaves?" Parsley has gained some of her strength and mobility back.

She looks down at her body by craning her sore neck a little. Green, dried and brown, different shaped leaves are on top of her from the beginning of her collar to the tips of her shoes. The sight is in some ways amusing.

"What do you suppose I had to do to keep you warm? I can't move you nor can you do that by yourself, yet, so this is the solution I came up with."

"Thank you-" Her breathing stopped for a moment. The metal taste is returning to her mouth.

The cat's golden eyes come immediately to her view. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah..." She forces a little smile, swallowing thickly with her dry throat stinging. Water could help, but she doesn't suppose there is anything like that near here, which brings up her next question. "Where are we?"

The trees are different, she doesn't feel almost any form of that chilly wind current or hear the sound of the faraway seashore. There is not a single trace of salty smell in the air. Instead, the scent is full of fresh grass and moss.

Sphynx would have gotten help even before she woke up. So, there could be one explanation why he hasn't…

"...not sure," the said cat says it with an uneasy tune. "The whole forest smells different from where we came from."

The hazel eyes narrow in worry, cold sweat dripping down her aching back. She may have messed up more badly than she thought. "Different?"

"There are no humans anywhere near," he looks up, "I can't smell any in the area."

* * *

Her eyes are bloodshot from tears that she has been crying, but they also have a fire in them, as she tries to stand up on her two feet. The leaves start to fall down from her form like during autumn from trees and she watches them float down to the ground softly.

When she makes it to her shaky feet, Parsley feels like slumping back down, as well. Her every joint, muscle and bone creak and complain under her weight. She is still very weak but has done enough by waiting to regain the lost energy.

She smells the ground, the dirt, her own sweat and _urine_ and clenches her eyes shut in disgust.

Every night – she estimates laying for around two days – has been somewhat chilly, but every night rest has also brought some of the strength back. Sphynx has done his all by gathering nuts, berries and some herbs for his owner to eat as well, so he was also one reason why Parsley is even breathing.

Now, he is watching her struggle and it is clear how concerned he is, when she keeps panting heavily.

 _This is enough!_ Parsley grits her teeth together in frustration, when she falls down. She has to get back into proper shape and get the two of them out of here. Her family is definitely starting to suspect something, when she hasn't called for days. When they would find out what had happened, no doubt a big search party will start. Parsley can't afford that and have everyone knowing what had happened.

The brown-haired woman looks down at her clothes. They are covered in dirt and every possible thing emitting from human body is clinging to the fabrics. She feels like an animal, a disgusting one.

The only thing that Parsley doesn't mind, is the sun shining down on her. She was born in a place where the glowing piece of the sky was present around the year. But what is worrisome is that her normally tanned skin had turned into a sheet layer on top of her flesh. There have been some pictures that she saw few years ago about the loss of magical energy in several magicians, once she even witnessed a classmate collapsing from it.

A cold shiver travels down her spine. Those times start coming back to her, as she continues examining her skin and how the veins beneath it seem to pop out.

 _First symptoms: sudden paleness, dizziness, unfocused gaze and blue lips. The loss of magic is similar to the loss of blood. The patient must not use magic, depending on the amount that has been lost. Rest and lots of it, small amount of food so that the stomach won't reject it. The person can start trying to move after they can feel simple soreness instead of sharp pain…_

She reaches out towards a tree and stumbles before hitting against it. Sphynx lets out a surprised meow from the way she collides loudly. Some branches shake slightly from the impact.

Despite only taking several steps, the magician pants and stares at the ground blankly. The pain she had been in the day she woke up must have been from the loss of magic _. I used too much of it on the spell._

"Are you sure you are alright enough to move?" Sphynx asks and steps closer, like he could hold Parsley up, if she fell again.

"...I am not, but..." Parsley hesitantly takes in a deep breath and starts letting go of the sturdy trunk. "We must find our way...back home."

"Easier said than done," Sphynx says and doesn't bother muttering it.

The hazel eyes fix an irritated look towards him. Despite her throat hurting, she growls: "This is your fault... I told you that I couldn't do the spell right."

The cat's ears twitch and his fur puffs up. He also has been quite stressed for the past few days and thus they are both ready to snap at each other it seems. "Do not put a blame on me. You started reading a wrong spell."

"Well, I wouldn't have started doing a single one have you not been so annoyingly persistent."

"I had to be so that you wouldn't stop what you started like a _spineless_ coward."

"You also knew that there was a _very_ high possibility that it would all fail. _Stupid_ cat."

"No, I believed in you. Like I did before the exams," Sphynx says, his eyes truthful, but the words he speaks make Parsley's heart clench. She is moved, though, not convinced and the cat doesn't wait a second, before he starts talking again. "Giving up is not an option. Haven't Paige and Robert said it hundreds of times?"

"Don't bring that up again. I did not give up. I simply lost every interest in magic. Giving up is when you lose every bit of confidence on something working and then quit. I did not lose any confidence, end of story. I repeat: you. Pestered. Me. Pushed me to do what you wanted by threatening to tear down granny's book."

"Trying to make you stand up on your own two feet, figuratively that is, is not called pestering, but supporting. And I also was not planning on destroying the book- It was _you_ who finally gave in and _gave up_. And look, I have been taking care of you the whole time you were unable to move, and this is the 'thank you' I get?" The slit black lines thin further, and white fangs are bared up at the woman who returns it with a scowling look.

"There are no 'thank you's for stubborn cats who are the main reason for trouble," Parsley hisses through her teeth. They are both still speaking calmly, though. Neither of them have said something to cross the thin line, yet.

Sphynx's tail is up. "If only you were this thickskulled with your work effort, then maybe you wouldn't have any problems with achieving your goals."

"Don't you dare to start," Parsley clenches her fists weakly. Long nails digging into the tree. "How many times do I have to repeat it so that the words get through your skull, huh? Being a magician is not my goal anymore. It was a stupid, worthless childhood dream of a stupid child who didn't understand a thing!"

The amber brown-haired woman wants to add something more, but cringes from the way raising her voice has put a strain on her throat. She starts coughing and pecks of blood fall down to the visible roots of the tree.

The tension is forgotten between the two. And instead, Sphynx places his paw on Parsley's leg. She returns his concern with a tight smile and straightens up, though, it makes her entire body groan in protest. This is the most horrible state she has ever been in. And when she thought that death nearly touched her a cold chill and a hollow sensation in the heart makes her shudder.

Letting bitter taste linger on her tongue, she rasps out: "Is there any water nearby?"

"Wait just a minute," the golden eyed cat orders in a commanding tone and walks few feet ahead of them. His pink nose twitches visibly along with his whiskers, as he looks around.

Unlike normal cats, Sphynx is a special one. His ancestry consists of charmed cats that have all been familiars for magicians for many, many years. Anyone who knows about the existence of magic could get one as a friend and companion. However, they are not to be called pets or someone's property. In a way, they are equal to humans, but closer to the nature and its creatures. Also, their senses are more sensitive than normal animals.

After a minute or two he turns his head towards Parsley. "If we head forward, there should be a river roughly around two miles ahead."

"Two miles?!" Parsley exclaims, but then lets out another small cough. She desperately needs something to hydrate herself and soon. "A-alright, then. Let's start walking."

"Remember to rest, if it becomes too hard for you to walk."

Parsley nods and starts walking. Her legs still shake, but if she takes support from something it is somewhat easier. Though, this walk would not be like dancing through a flower field to get to a river. Sphynx has been right on some of his claims, but the hazel eyed woman has not felt more determined to get through this kind of a mess.

* * *

Until they finally reach the river, neither is sure how much time has passed.

Both the cat and woman are covered from head to toe in dirt and leaves. Parsley even has a small scratch on her cheek from a branch that hit her on the way. Not to mention how many bruises formed on the way from her constant falling. Still, out of the two of them, she is the one who is mostly covered in sweat that soaks through her clothes. The thin black jacket that she wears is tied around her waist, but the long-sleeved white shirt underneath is almost see-through. The blue jeans keep on clinging to her and it is like walking on hot water with dark boots on.

When Parsley had been on Windy Mountains, the clothing she wears had been perfect enough for its weather, but now it is like walking through a dessert. Wherever they are, the climate sure would stay warm for a while. The earth is very dusty and dry, so there must have not been any rainy days for a while at least. _Let's hope that it stays that way, then._

The last thing she needs is to get sick, again.

The water keeps rushing down the stream and the sound makes the woman limp towards the liquid more quickly. Her cat iss also eager to finally drink something but stays by her side till she reaches the destination.

The first thing that Parsley does is to gather some of the finger numbing water into her hands and splash it across her sweaty face. Goosebumps spread across her body from how low its temperature is and the way it trails down her skin, but it is also refreshing.

After days without this heavenly liquid, the brown-haired woman feels renewed and takes another scoopful. She doesn't care to check, if the water is clean enough to drink – it looks good enough, and she takes large gulps. The earthly taste is something that the hazel eyed brunette has never tasted, and it almost makes her cry out tears of joy. The water slides down her dry, chapped throat and washes away the remaining blood.

From the corner of Parsley's eyes, she sees how Sphynx is also greedily drinking, the long tail swinging with pleasantly slow rhythm. They glance at each other once, before sharing small content looks. Well, at least the brown-haired woman is able to smile, but on Sphynx it is kind of creepy. The expression he wears brings a small snort from Parsley, though.

"Is something amusing?"

"No, no. Just forget it," Parsley says with a wave of her limp hand. "Anyway, are there still any people around the area? Because, if we ended up in a middle of nowhere, literally, then I-I don't know what to do."

Sphynx sniffs for a while and feels how the hazel eyes are being drilled into his small form. He crushes every piece of hope in both himself and Parsley, when he opens his mouth. The sharp pointed ears flatten against his head. "Yes, I am sure. Nothing but forest as far as I can smell- D-don't start crying!"

 _Nothing, but forest..._

Too late. Parsley is already doing that and covers her face. The salty drops just continue pooling down from her eyes and some that slide against the scratches sting. The woman is shaking like the leaves that had served as her blanket for the last few days. Dread makes her skin turn even paler and she started pulling on the roots of her hair in what seemed like nervousness. "W-w-what are we supposed to do now? We have no food, s-shelter or- or chance to call for help... W-we- we are going to die in here and th-"

"Calm down!" Sphynx almost barks that one out in haste. If she continues speaking, it would allow the panic to grow and feast on her. "Go and take a swim in the river and cool your head down."

"B-but we have to-"

"Think clearly! I have managed to find food for both of us up till now, so that is no trouble for us. And as long as you have me, you don't have to worry about finding right directions to go to," the cats voice is calm, collected. "For now, we need to simply stay calm, look around and take care of our basic needs... Starting with your smell."

Despite still feeling ready to have a panic attack and clinging to her hair with dear life, Parsley gains some red color to her cheeks.

Her fingers are able to feel the greasiness and the sticks between strands, now. Looking down at herself, covered in sweat, dirt and her own... _natural needs_ , Parsley feels like a hermit that has been lost to the world for many years. She feels disgusting, repulsed by her appearance once again. However, now that she takes a second look at herself, the clothes are only horrible reminders of how unfortunate the situation really is.

Without hesitation, she strips.

The stench clings to her skin and hits her nostrils with such a force that the hazel eyed woman nearly recoils back. Who cared about modesty and shyness in these kinds of conditions? The only ones who would see her like this are the animals after all.

Blush of shame still colors her cheeks, when Parsley descends down to the river, holding in a yelp from how icy cold the water is. The rocks under the transparent liquid were scrape the bottom of her feet, but she feels how the flow takes every piece of dirt off from. The young woman doesn't hesitate for a second time and quickly crouched down, holding back a scream from the numbing chill running all over her body. Goosebumps spread across her skin, the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and hazel eyes close themselves tightly shut. _Cold, cold, cold,_ _ **cold**_ _!_

The forest is quiet, expect when the wind ruffles the leaves and birds chirp their songs. No other human truly is anywhere near the earshot or sight. No rooftops or tall structures of a building peek themselves over the tall trees, but what do are taller landscapes that look like mountains. But even they are all covered in green. The only things that differ from all of that is the blue sky with soft white clouds and the river that reflects their colors on its surface.

She is truly only seen by animals.

Amber brown hair floats around Parsley, and when she sees this, she decides to dip down her whole body. The facial expression on her face twitches, when she does. The cold is biting down on her every facial feature. And after few seconds, the brown-haired woman breaks through the surface and gasps for fresh air.

The warmth of the sunlight is welcoming.

"Sphynx, could you wash the clothes for me?"

The cat bristled from behind her. "Pardon?"

He looks miffed by the request, and this lifts some stony weight from her chest.

"Thank you," Parsley is clearly smiling from the chirpy tone of her voice. Even if Sphynx couldn't see anything else, but the back of her water dripping head. "Don't let them be washed away by the river."

She dives in again and snickers under the water from hearing the faint sound of her friend's yelling. No matter how cold and numb the river is making her feel, it does calm her down a bit. No matter how mother hen-like the cat would become, he is always right. His human companion needs this to be able to think more clearly. They are both very lucky after all, and couldn't start panicking no matter how much worse the circumstances could get.

 _After all, how are the two of us even alive? My magic skills should have blown us to pieces._

A small fish swims by, but because the hazel eyes are hiding behind the eyelids, they don't see it.

Parsley tries to recall, to remember what had happened during the spell casting. Her memories started by feeling Sphynx on her shoulder, the wand on her hand, the spell book in front of her on the ground and then there was that illuminating green glow from the stone. Things were normal at those points and proceeded as they should have.

Her face is numb again and the woman rises up. Water splashes all around her and she can hear everything clearly again. Sphynx sees her from the shore and starts yelling about something, but he is cut off, when Parsley goes under the water again.

The corners of her lips curve up from the sound of a faraway complaining and another chuckle brings bubbles out of her nose and mouth that rise up. She turns around to her back and floats there under the mercy of a gentle current. Her feet brush against the rock-bottom.

This is where the brown-haired woman wants to stay for forever. The aching in the muscle's substitutes and all the sweat and heat from her body diminishes. If she could have slept like this for five days, no doubt that the woman would have recovered more earlier.

The ends of her hair keep brushing against the sides of her face and chest like feathers. The water isn't so cold anymore and Parsley barely feels any more exhaustion. _A magician must be close to nature to recover, quicker huh? I had always thought that those were just superstitious blabbering, but if they are true, then in what kind of state I would be currently inside a rock and glass house?_

She throws her head back, the light of the sun shines right through the water and reaches her face. It is warm even in the cold. Parsley doesn't remember the last time that she has been swimming in a real lake or river and not in a simple pool. There was a sea next to her home, but she hadn't gone there for years. Usually, she stayed on the sandy beach with her friends and occasionally touched the water either with her hands or the tips of her toes. When Parsley had been younger though, she begged for a permission to go swimming. Those happy memories are nearly forgotten in the present, but now that the brown-haired woman is recalling them, she couldn't feel more nostalgic touch in her heart.

Even now that she is floating in the water, the magician relives those moments. And also, something else as well...

 _ **White, blue, red, black.**_

Without meaning to, hazel eyes snap wide open. The sweet water starts stinging them and the bright sunlight shining through the liquid is blinding. Everything is happening so fast in her mind that Parsley tilts her head to the side in confusion, she has done it like that before. She sees blurry shapes of rocks and a fish with shining scales, now.

 _ **Through the clear dark blue, blurry figures. As eyes are staring at her, Parsley's whole body is unable to move. She can't speak.**_

If it is even possible, Parsley's eyes widen even more, and her mouth opens halfway. Her heart is beating wildly inside the ribcage.

 _ **Sphynx, floating limply near, golden eyes closed.**_

The brown-haired woman inhales without meaning to and starts coughing violently.

Her whole body grows rigid from alarm and she presses her feet firmly on the ground, before standing up. The moment she breaks the surface, she coughs and tries to inhale as deeply as possible. The sun doesn't feel as warm as before and only a chill, colder than the river's water, passes through Parsley's body. It tears the layers of her beating heart's shell and strikes fear into it like a needle that prickles a finger and makes it bleed.

Parsley starts shaking violently and hugs herself while shivering. She can't really tell, if it is the water's coldness that is doing it anymore. The numbness is everywhere, even in her mind.

Everything is deadly silent, even Sphynx who was in the middle of trying to wash her shirt stops what he is doing while holding the fabric in his mouth. Both his tail and ears lift up from the sight of the woman dragging herself to the land and coughing the water out of her lungs in desperate need to get out of the river. He abandons the shirt to the ground and rushes to Parsley in a hurry.

"Did you get cold already?" It is his attempt to start scolding her for staying in the water for too long, but he stops, when she looks at him.

With amber brown hair clinging to her face, Parsley must have looked like a sea monster rising from the depths of an ocean. Hazel eyes that are narrowed in fright soften from just looking into the golden eyes of the dark furred cat. "Y-yeah, s-something like that."

"...is it your magic energy? Is it still too hard for you to move properly?"

"Y-yes," Parsley says through shaking teeth and then stands up with her arms around herself. Then, she opens her mouth again. "S-sphynx, y-you didn't get the exhaustion, when you woke up and took care of me, r-right? Y-you were c-completely fine, right?"

"Excuse me? I think you were the one who casted the spell on your own. I was only lucky to get caught up on it and share my own energy. Without me as a medium, you wouldn't have survived a minute longer," he says it with confidence and sticks his nose up proudly.

"Sphynx, I'm sorry."

The cat nods. "Yes, you sh- Pardon? What did you say?"

She rubs her bare arms, barely even taking a note how she is still naked and standing in a plain view.

"I-I said I am sorry. It wasn't your fault that things got like this. You were right, when you said that I was the one who gave in to your idea. Also, if I had noticed that the spell was different immediately, this all wouldn't have happened. You were also right, when you called me spineless, but you also wanted what was best for me, right?... I'm just so, so sorry for this. Y-you aren't a stupid cat nor the one to blame. I am."

Sphynx wants to show that he can also frown just like a human, but instead tilts his head in a curious manner. He takes in everything that he sees on Parsley's face. Her hazel eyes are gazing back at him with slight mist blocking what is really moving in that mind of hers. The lower lip is curled down, and she bites down on it once, before averting her attention to the side.

The brown-haired woman knows that her cat could easily see right through her but is still a little shaken from what happened under the water seconds ago. Those mirages had spooked her out completely and when she saw Sphynx in them the panic had taken the natural control over her body.

Parsley closes her eyes. That dark place had been blood freezing, those strange figures sent her gut twitching. If she and Sphynx were back in their apartment, waking up from their sleep and starting to think of their dreams as fantasies, she could have thought the same way about this one. What she had seen had happened, the woman is simply recalling it now through fuzzy memories.

Whatever that place had been, she doesn't want to go back.

"Sphynx, we need to figure out where we are," Parsley looks at him with clear unease on her features, " _now_."

* * *

"I swear, if you ever put me to do something like this again, I swear..." Sphynx leaves the silent threat hang in the air. He is glaring at the clothes that are hanging from a low tree branch with a pointed look. "And to think _I_ had to do the cleaning."

"Don't be so grumpy. I am the one who hasn't fully recovered yet," Parsley says back easily and shivers from the wind. "Seriously, when will the clothes be dry?"

"Why can't you stay without them? I will never understand your human's strange behavior to cover your bodies with pieces of fabrics."

"Easy for you to say – you've got fur. Anyway, can you tell me what symbols you saw, when I casted the spell?"

Sphynx huffs but focuses on the task at hand. "I remember clearly seeing the symbols of the seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter."

Parsley uses a stick to write those down on the ground. The symbol of seasons are used to describe time, change or even the circle of life.

"Then, a symbol of death," Sphynx says the last one easily, but even Parsley can tell that it is an uncomfortable one to say. And her hand also stills with writing. "Those are all that I can remember."

"Wait. Are you certain that the symbol of death was in the formula as well? You don't think that I..." she trails off, fear stretched over her face like a full mask.

Seeing her distress, Sphynx comes closer and licks her hand in a comforting manner. He holds his head on top of her palm, so that the hazel irises would be focused solely on him and his words. "No, I do not. There was not anything to sacrifice in the mountains nor inside the pentagram. And if it had been a spell that could kill, the damage it could have caused to your body would have been far greater than this."

As if her body is responding to those facts, Parsley's skull is pierced by sharp pain. She nod in understanding. "But I remember learning that death spells can only bring death and not transport people. So, how is it possible that we are even alive?"

That is how a silence is brought between the two of them. This is the question that they need answers for. Parsley's life has already been in danger, when the magical energy was used too much on the casting. A magician can raise their magical energy through training that could take decades, depending on the person and their ready supply of it, of course.

However, she doesn't have the required amount to do any large spells and neither does Sphynx. And considering where they were at, at the time, the magic energy had been needed quite a lot for the spell.

It is all too puzzling. The result should have been horrible, yet it could be deemed almost successful. But the wavy-haired human is glad for that. There could have been no room for a failure.

Parsley gives a dry smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Well, let's be glad that we are alive. What a luck."

Sphynx nods, agreeing with her completely. "Still, luck doesn't tell us where we are."

"You sure are optimistic."

"You must be rubbing on me."

"Shut up," the woman mutters. Then, she grows tense. "Wait a minute. What do you think happened to my bag or grandma's book? Oh my god! What about my wand!? I can't lose it!"

Sphynx rolls his eyes and starts grooming himself. "I fail to see any reason to worry about those things. They probably were left behind in Windy Mountains. On the bright side, though, now the people will have evidence of our disappearance."

Parsley winces. Images of a large search party pops into her head along with the faces and words of her family and friends. The thought of them possibly thinking of her death is kind of terrifying. Usually, she is the one who sees those posters that beg for others to search and report sightings on missing people, but what if she is the one whose picture ends up like that? How many eyes would see it and not care, but pity?

She shakes her head weakly. _That is not important right now. Focus, Parsley._

"Can- can't we just try and call help? Maybe yell?" She suggests hopefully, even though it sounds desperate.

"Or," Sphynx starts with a drawling manner, "we can try and use your phone, even though there probably isn't any reception here."

"What!? My phone?!" The woman nearly shoots up but stays on the ground. Her eyes nearly bulge out of the skull, when the cat pulls out the familiar device from behind him. Parsley gapes at him and it for a second, before taking it and tapping the code on the screen. "You should have said something earlier!"

"I only found it, when I was washing your clothes. How could you forget that you had one with you anyway?" The words ware dull, but there is a teasing edge to them.

Parsley sends a glare towards the cat, but otherwise focuses on the phone. The screen is still alright; it works just fine, and she looks just in case, if everything else is still intact and working.

When she finds no damage, she nearly sighs in relief. However, all her hope and happiness is somewhat becoming shattered, when she looks at the reception sign on the left corner. Like Sphynx had said, there is most likely no reception at all and right now Parsley hates him for being right. The screen must be mocking her, as hazel eyes continue staring at it.

And that is how the plan to call for help stops right there, and the brown-haired woman places the phone down to the ground. Her shoulders slump down, and she let out a frustrated sigh. Sphynx knows what that means and stays silent, for the time being. He also, can't find anything to say.

 _Everything is not going alright for us._ Parsley wraps her arms around herself like a shield. There aren't any cold winds, the sun is warming her skin and she closes her eyes in delight. The strands of the damp hair cling to the back of the naked woman like a fur. Small drops keep falling from the tips, but other than that she is mostly dry again. All the sweat, dirt and the scent of the earth have been washed away by the river and its freezing water.

The idea of being like this out in an open view of anything that might pass by is still more than uncomfortable, though. The thought makes her neck hair stand up.

Hazel eyes look up from the tips of the grass to the river few feet away. Every time she is close to shivering, Parsley is reminded of that horrible memory. It is so confusing, why she feels afraid of those things that she had seen. From their build, though still blurry, it is clear that they have been humans and not monsters. Just humans, in that dark, _dark_ place, where she was helplessly defenseless. Where they could easily...

This time, it is an ominous wind that makes her shiver. She is really glad that they have been transported to this remote place – there is nothing that could harm them here.

"Your clothes should be dry by now," Sphynx points out after what feels like a very long time.

Parsley looks up at the branch and stands up slowly, legs shaking. She touches the fabric of her shirt and is happy to discover it really being dry enough for her to put it back on. The jeans are mostly dry as well and she takes them down, too.

Sphynx gives her the privacy to dress up, knowing how uncomfortable enough she has been, when sitting around naked almost the whole day. Though, he is the only one out of the two of them that did not find it embarrassing.

After she is decent, the cat turns to look at her with a new suggestion. "If we can't call for help, how about you fire a light spell up to the sky? If there are people anywhere around here, then they can see our location."

In response, the brown-haired woman raises a doubtful eyebrow. "Really? You still want me to use magic after all of _this_?" She gestures all around herself, proving her point. "Why won't you do it yourself? The chances of us getting blinded will be lower then."

He could deny that. He could start insisting on her using the magic and having more confidence in herself. That is what he always does, but now he simply lets out a tired sigh. The cat is clearly at the end of his rope by now and can't muster anymore stubbornness on this matter.

However, he does say: "Even though you know that this spell is something you can use successfully, you still want me to do it?"

"Hey, I'm the patient here~" she smiles coyly and sits back down. Her feet are still weak and standing as long as she has, has proved to be slightly difficult.

"Spoiled brat," Sphynx mutters, but earns a laugh for not being quiet enough.

Parsley watches with a slight smile, as a glowing red orb appeares in front of her friend's face. His eyes are closed, but when he opens them the light turns his golden eyes into a mix of orange and sparkling gold. Even though she doesn't enjoy using magic as much as she had during childhood, she loves seeing others using it.

The orb shoots up many feet away from the ground and the cat. It stays deadly still up in the air for a while, before sizzling like an oil on a hot pan and exploding. The air vibrated all over from its force and red particles start to spread all over the sky roof and fall down as sparkling lights. It is like watching a firework and both the woman and her cat pray someone else is catching the sight of its glow.


	3. Chapter 2: The headbands

_Chapter 2_

 _The headbands_

* * *

The cat and woman have started walking. They do not know where they are headed to, nor if it is the right way or what might wait for them far ahead.

The only way for them to really go to is forward, after all. But there are no paths around the place they wonder through, so they have to push between bushes and twist between thick number of trees and dodge their branches. The weather isn't luckily cold, but that doesn't mean less difficulties. The heat is nearly unbearable for the young woman and the constant walking is making her feel exhausted.

There is totally five scratches on her legs, despite wearing jeans. They are demolished by sharp branches and there is a tear on the right knee. Parsley can't believe that she chose her favorite jeans to wear, when she had gone to that Windy Mountain. Now, she certainly couldn't wear them without being reminded of this horrible experience.

Also, she is hungry. Very hungry to be exact. Sphynx has been able to catch some berries and all, but that is not enough to satisfy the hunger of a human. He did suggest eating a mouse he caught, but from obvious reason it didn't go into the woman's mouth. She had shivered, when he had swallowed the dead thing.

Parsley's stomach lets out a very low grumble and she places a hand on top of it in a soothing manner. She wants to eat meat, pasta, potatoes with sauce on top and maybe even some sausages. Berries are good, but enough is enough.

Of course, the cat is in a much better shape than his human companion. He jumps gracefully over a fallen trunk on their way and continues his way without waiting for the brown-haired woman. Though, he does stop, when he hears a loud yell.

"E-eep!" Parsley smashes against the ground. Her legs are pointed up towards the sky against the trunk and she hisses from the painful contact. No doubt this would be leaving a bruise. The hazel eyes shoot an irritated look at the golden ones. "W-what?"

"We should take a break," Sphynx says bluntly.

"Wha- No, no. I-I say we keep on walking for another hour." Parsley starts to stand up and dusts new layer of dirt off of her clothes, but then stops from sudden dizziness.

"And you haven't even fully recovered. I can hear your panting from way over here."

Parsley wants to say something else, but instead sinks into the ground and leans her head against a trunk. The dizziness is getting worse and she wants to drink something. Maybe she is feeling like this because of too much sun without a hat on? Yeah, she thinks that is the reason. Her legs throb and she whines from how much the muscles are hurting. Getting up this morning during the sunrise, courtesy of her cat, had been bad enough. The said alarm clock stretches his back and yawns, before walking next to the woman and sitting down on her lap. Parsley doesn't say anything to that and simply starts stroking his back, cleaning it from few leaves that got stuck to it during the walk.

Neither one of them know how long exactly they both have walked, but the sun is already up in the sky and birds are happily chirping with their daily flying activities. Though, no matter how much they walked, Sphynx didn't still smell anyone else, but them and the other animals near the area. It is worrying Parsley, because she isn't so sure, if surviving like this could hold her alive for a long time.

 _No, don't think about dying._ Parsley closes her eyes and tries to relax. She needs to have enough energy to walk later. Her fingers threat along the silky fur of the cat, feeling his warmth and the soft vibrations of his purrs. _Keep your head cool. Sphynx is still here with me._ Honestly, if he wasn't, Parsley would have lost her composure the moment she had woken up. Sphynx is in many ways an animal, so the whole situation doesn't bother him as much as it does her.

He doesn't need a soft bed or a roof over his head, like her.

Suddenly, her fingers still and Sphynx glances up. The hazel eyes stare ahead, focused and with a frown marring the face features. Parsley opens her mouth. "This is..."

"Hm? What is wrong?" The cat asks without grasping the gravity of her train of thoughts.

She raises her hand and points to something that is ahead of them. "Look at that boulder over there. Isn't- isn't it the same one that we saw near the river?"

This catches Sphynx's attention and he lifts his head up, ears sharp and eyes even sharper. Even if his vision is better than that of an average human's, he has no doubt that what his friend is seeing is not an illusion created by her mind. The rock standing between the tree lines is quite big, maybe a head taller than Parsley, and with green moss covering its top like a wig.

Now, neither of them want to rest. Parsley stands up with Sphynx in her arms and starts walking briskly towards the rock. Her heartbeat can be heard from the way the cat's ears are pressed against her chest and he can understand how she feels. Anxiety and disbelief cover both of them like a blanket of moss on a rock and when they finally reach to it the sound of rushing water can be heard from behind it.

 _Please let this not be real. This has to be coincidence._ Those are the thoughts Parsley is thinking and begging in her mind, as she rounds the boulder with clear distress on her face. The color fades from her skin, when she sees the familiar river. The shade on Sphynx's fur seems to lighten, too, if that is even possible for a cat. The hazel and gold orbs share a look of shock and then return to the rushing water that they had left this morning.

Parsley's legs start shaking violently. It isn't only tiredness and magic energy exhaustion that takes all the fuel, but the fact that they have moved in circles crushes her deeply and painfully.

She is positive that they have done anything, but that. She has seen how and where they were headed and always tried to stay in straight line with Sphynx. But if this was the result, she isn't so sure any longer about their plan to get back into civilization.

Parsley falls down to her knees painfully and the cat in her arms nearly falls down, if it wasn't for his claws that cling to her shirt. Fresh tears gather in her eyes and slide down her cheek, some drops falling on Sphynx.

The feline tries to stay calm. "Now, now. Calm down, Parsley. Remember what I said about panicking."

His words have nearly zero effect on the sobbing female. "B-b-but...We ha-haven't moved at all Sphynx. My legs hurt, I-I'm hungry and- and sweaty. I wanna go home!" Sphynx lets out a low sigh and lets her hug him tighter. He feels how she buries her wet face to his back and licks her tear stained cheek with an effort to comfort her. The water on the skin tastes sweet, yet salty. Parsley lets out a hiccup and loosens her hold from the warm sensation on her face. That always has had a quick calming effect on her.

"Have you calmed down?"

"...Yes."

"Do you need another moment?"

"No," she says and shakes her head. "W-we...need to find out why we ended up back here."

Parsley starts to stand up and places her familiar down. Her eyes that are still fresh from tears look around the bank, like the answer could lay anywhere near them. However, as expected, she finds nothing worth mentioning. Her eyes look down and see Sphynx sniffing the air once again. His tail keeps swinging from side to side and the woman is momentarily fixated on that movement. It is like watching a clock tick by, which means that every minute is wasted as long as they stay in this strange forest.

It is like the trees behind them start to groan against the gentle wind that blows by.

The magician may have only started imagining things because of anxiety, but she has definitely started to feel creeped out. The dark corners in the forest seem to grow larger and form faces of some sort of creatures. They reach out to Parsley from behind and she stays too frozen on the spot to move. The warm sun is shining, but why is it that she is feeling like the darkness could swallow her up from one wrong movement?

Sweat is sliding down her back and Parsley struggles to not let out a noise in the back of her throat. She wants desperately to hug Sphynx again, though. _Was the forest so ominous before?_

When Sphynx starts to move, she snaps out of her frozen state and starts looking around with him. She walks towards the river and looks down at the water, feeling how the dryness in her throat is aching for moisture. Kneeling down the brown-haired woman reaches out and cup her hands into a bowl. A little water wouldn't hurt anyone in a situation where they had walked for hours at least.

"Parsley! Don't drink the water!" Sphynx is suddenly hissing and runs to her with quick speed. The woman nearly falls over to the river, but luckily, she only falls to her side and lets the water slip past her fingers. The way the cat had yelled startled her. "There is something wrong with the forest!"

"I could have told you that," she says humorously, but flinches when a growl erupts from him.

"This is serious! There is magic in it!" This time, Sphynx directs his glare and growl towards the tall trees. "I caught a faint scent of it but am certain that there is no mistaking about that."

Parsley once again stiffens and looks at the dark shadows in the trees. The branches move once again from the wind and leaves ruffle against each other, not showing any sign of hostility or danger. Even the air is calm as it ruffles the cat's fur and human woman's hair.

Finding any magic in wilderness is rare. Long ago, there were many creatures, both good and evil, roaming across the lands of the world freely. Either doing good or bad deeds. However, maybe the word bad is too light to describe what the magical creatures did during the old days. Those that were full of malice and trickery were scorned, feared and despised, which obviously caused hatred between all the magical creatures and humans. Those that meant or did not mean harm were chased out of their homes by the people that couldn't understand them. Killed, tortured, captured and used were only few things that those one with the world experienced. Even those that sided with them were feared and shun down from other people and those were witches, wizards, anyone who dealt with magic. Witch-hunts were the last straw that sent them all into hiding.

Old folk disappeared from the world, at least from the sight of those that would mean them harm. Some went even as far as offering their last bit of life source to the land they once nurtured. But of course, the land also used that power until it ended completely. New places were created in secret from humans. Only those that knew about the existence of the magic could live there. They passed down that knowledge down to their descendants and this is how the magicians were born. From their roots that reached all the way back hundreds of years.

Anyway, because of all the hate and fear that still lingered, even in the 21st century, it is very, _very_ rare to even feel magic that isn't formed or made by a magician. Familiars don't count, though.

 _There really is...magic in it? Then, what is trying to keep us here?_ An image of those horrible folklores from childhood make Parsley's whole body grow tense. Those picture books that she had been shown come back to her memories bringing fear and nostalgic emotions.

 _"A human, a human, a human is in the forest~"_ The voice is melodic, filled with mirth and childishness. The sound almost makes the magician and familiar let their guard down, almost. The two take a step back, when a soft glowing light appears from behind a tree.

A girl no older than ten stands there, with a small smile gracing her lips. Green eyes, color of the leaves and the dress she wears, blink through dark eyelashes that fluttered once in curiosity. Long brown hair is decorated by flowers and a crown made out of dark branches sits on the girl's small head like a real tiara. Pale skin glows in the shadows of the tree, never touching the sunlight, as she extents her hand. Emerald eyes narrow and the smile widens into something innocent.

Parsley watches in disbelief at her. _When did she…?_ She can feel the magic flowing all around that one small child who looks like a fair porcelain doll. Her hazel eyes slide from the green ones to the tips of sharp ears that poke themselves out from the long hair that nearly brushes against the ground.

Sphynx growls, looking feral, but the woman next to him barely notices it.

 _"O child of a man, will you play with me?"_ There it is again. That hauntingly beautiful voice – too clear and bell-like, but suits a child, nonetheless. More forms move out from behind the trees. _"Entertain_ _ **us**_ ~"

The magician's eyes widen in shock. She can see all of them clearly. At first, she thinks that they are just abnormally peculiar children, but her stomach twitches from seeing matching smiles on their faces.

"Parsley," Sphynx's voice whispers with great urgency, "jump into the river."

The woman inhales, noticing for the first time that she has stopped breathing for a moment. She looks down at her friend in disbelief, wondering if she hear him right. "W-what?"

"These wood creatures can't follow us to the water. Quickly now," the cat orders, letting some of the panic he feels rise to the surface. "Otherwise they will devour us."

Slowly, almost like in a movie scene, the amber brown hair whirls, as Parsley turns her head back to the front.

Blood freezes.

A heartbeat later she finds herself staring in horror as the child starts to advance towards her with great speed.

Green eyes narrow even more, the large grin on a pale face is not even human's anymore. It splits the face and shows rows of deadly white teeth that could easily sink themselves into flesh. That same pale hand reaches out again, but this time the fingernails are longer, sharper and covered in dirt. The long brown hair is ragged and flows wildly in the rushing air and lets the withered flowers fall. The crown grows thorns and the green dress turns into a tattered rag under light of the sun.

Parsley's stomach turns, and a shriek comes out of her mouth.

Something slams against her face and for a moment she fears it is the creature's hand, but instead feels the warm fur tickling her nose and gravity pushing her back towards the water. Her neck arcs and her back follows.

Another shriek pierces the air, but this is far fiercer and louder. Parsley's ears throb from the deadly sound, before her body hits the surface of the cold water. She sinks under the surface and holds her breath, letting the flow take her forward.

The coldness around her is different from the warmth on the ground. It is nearly pitch dark all around her and she can't hear anything else, but the ringing in her ears from earlier. Her first instinct is to inhale, and she lets out cough under the mass of water, feeling how the water irritates her lungs.

The child had appeared to be so beautiful and full of life, yet she had changed in a matter of seconds into a monster. If the cat familiar hadn't acted quickly, what would have happened? Was that creature really planning on devouring her?

Sphynx's claws cling to the white shirt and the cat is luckily saved from being washed away. The grace of pain makes the brown-haired woman hold him close and start to swim towards the surface with great urgency. She and him need air. Parsley's lungs burn as bubbles continue rushing out of her nose and mouth. Her hand reaches out desperately for the light coming from above this water surrounding her. _Air!_

Her head breaks the surface and she can hear Sphynx inhaling loudly with her. The water is coughed out, but the tenseness of the atmosphere does not lower. However, when they both can see again and look around, there is nobody around anymore. The two of them are alone once again, but Parsley couldn't feel more relieved about that fact.

"W-what was that?" She finally splutters out and wipes her face while keeping a hold on Sphynx.

The cat presses himself closer, as if those green eyes could pop out any moment from the forest. "A tree deity – a spirit of a tree. From the looks of it, she is a very young one."

"Spirit of a tree shouldn't be attacking people!" Parsley snaps but tightens her hold on him.

Sphynx doesn't say anything to that and simply turns his head towards where the river is going to. The golden eyes become brighter in color and his ears perk up. "Well, anyway. Let's forget about that and focus on the fact that I have found a new scent."

Parsley almost wishes to start complaining that this is not the time to get distracted. She ca feel how her face is pale like during the first moments of her waking up from the magic energy exhaustion. She forgets all about the aching muscles and keeps on thinking of that green-eyed monster that… she doesn't even know what it wanted to really do with the two of them. The young woman isn't even sure, if she wants to ever know. Also, there were those other things moving in the forest... her skin just crawls from remembering.

The woman takes in a deep breath, feeling how goosebumps start to appear on her legs from the freezing water. The phone is in her pocket, but that thing is definitely useless now anyway. _My phone… how am I going to call for help, now?_

She has always thought that everything that is magical is good and wonderful. But history shouldn't be forgotten after all. And she shouldn't forget how many times her own magic has caused trouble, but she had thought for a moment that the creature wouldn't hurt them, even before she knew what it was. _She was so beautiful._

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Sorry. What kind of scent?" Parsley asks, her mind not fully leaving from their terrifying encounter with the child of the forest earlier.

Sphynx grumbles something under his breath. "I smell other humans. The river isn't affected by the enchantment of the forest, so I can finally smell something else outside of it."

From this information Parsley's mouth drops and her eyes widen. They glittered with hope and she starts to shake Sphynx in her hands. "Really?! Other humans?! Are you sure? This isn't some enchantment playing tricks on your nose again, right?"

"Of course, it isn't. Now stop shaking me!" He hisses, pissed enough already from being soaked to the bone. But he has to admit liking the smile that spreads across the one's face who is holding him. Hazel eyes are glazed over by tears, but the corners of the lips just keep on lifting themselves up.

"Then let's go!" She swims and places Sphynx on her shoulder. His claws grace against her skin lightly through the fabric. Her heartbeat isn't rising from fear anymore, but from excitement. "Where to?"

"Just continue swimming down the stream."

Parsley can't wait to get back home.

* * *

The minute Parsley drags herself out of the water, she slumps down to the grass covered ground. Every muscle in her body is screaming from cold and strain so much that she doesn't wish to rise up ever again. Her shoulder rise and fall heavily under the soaked shirt that now has new claw marks on the left shoulder, but that is not so important right now. The thing that is important and somewhat worrisome is how Parsley's lips are turning into a light blue color and the deadly paleness on her face. If she doesn't warm herself up, no doubt there will be a need to worry about hypothermia.

 _Cold... so cold._ She manages to curl up on the ground, trying to absorb the sunlight's warmth. The clothes feel disgusting and weird from sticking so close to her skin and even her shoes feel more terrible than the time she sweated through them. Now, even the ground she lays on feels incredibly warm and welcoming.

"Parsley, hang in there," Sphynx begs and licks her icy cold cheek.

"Y-yeah," she says back, teeth clattering against one another. "I-I can g-get up."

"Don't push yourself. I will start the fire. You stay here and try to stay awake and warm."

"I-I am n-not g-going to-to pass o-out," Parsley says that with confidence. She rubs her arms, trying to get rid of the ice in them. "L-lets ju-just c-c-continue."

The golden eyes give her a deadpan look. "I wonder _why_ I am having a sense of déjà-vu from this morning? You're pushing yourself too hard. We are already out of danger, so some rest won't kill you."

The cat isn't wrong, when he thinks that this scene is familiar. He watches as the brown-haired woman's head collides with the ground limply and her hazel eyes close themselves. The dark strands of her look stark against her skin that is usually so tanned.

The cat's ears flatten against his head. Just when he thought she was getting better this happens.

Parsley isn't looking forward for another swim. She holds her frozen fingers close to her mouth and breathes warm air onto them. How could water be so cold during a weather like this? The bright sun is practically glaring down at anything its rays of light could possibly reach.

After she is slightly warmer from basking in its light, Parsley sits up. "H-how long do we have to walk after this?"

"Not long, I think. The scent of people is stronger now, along with some _food_."

That is something that gets Parsley cheer up a little. Actual _food_ and no berries, herbs or grass. Her stomach, which has stopped growling some time ago, makes a loud noise and she wraps her arms around herself tighter. The ground is harsh, and it is making her dream of her bed. That softness that she would sink into and wrap herself in warm and soft blankets brings an irresistible desire for to simply fall asleep on the ground that suddenly feels so extremely comforting.

However, as soon as the thought of the ground swallowing her up enters Parsley's mind she is reminded of those haunting green eyes from a while ago.

The look that tree spirit had given her...it had been so different from that child's smile that she saw. Or maybe there was that kind of emotion planted on it from the start, but the brown-haired woman had been blind to it. For a moment, it had felt like time stopped moving forward. Those green orbs that had been directed at her looked out of this world. The rich emerald color had shone in the shadows and held everything that that little girl was. Something that Parsley has never seen before and what is supposed to be hiding deep in its bark.

The tree deities have an appearance of humans. The only thing that could distinguish the races are the ears and of course their origin, according to books at least. It is said that they look like the trees that they live in, so that little girl's must have had rich brown bark and leaves as bright green as emerald stones. But, why did she look so horrible, when she took that other form? The voice she had was beautiful, the angelic hands looked so gentle, but those features disappeared in a matter of seconds. It was like the skin had been torn off and the raw flesh revealed.

That shriek had also been the exact opposite of an angelic appearance. It had been harsh, loud, high pitched and filled with anger. The spirit had clearly been enraged for not getting Parsley in time.

The brown-haired woman looks towards the cat that is pulling a piece of wood out of the forest with his mouth and claws. He has already gathered some wooden sticks into a pile and throws the last one on top of it. Then, he ruffles his fur splattering the remaining water off of himself. _I truly would be dead without him._

 _But, why did a spirit want to devour me?_

"Sphynx...do spirits hate humans that much? The professors have always said that they appear when they like us."

The cat pauses between a stretch he is making and looks towards his own human. Parsley can't read what is happening in his eyes.

Water soaked clothes clinging to her shivering form, wet hair framing the sides of her face that is beginning to have some color to it, but what catches most of the cat's attention are the eyes. They are red from both water and crying, but the color of hazel is covered by many layers, which begin with fear, anxiety, sadness, tiredness and finally curiosity. She looks so lost, while looking at him like that. It reminds him of the times, when the young woman had been much younger.

He turns his attention to the pile and feels how Parsley watches him do a fire spell. Flames flicker and soon small smoke starts to rise up to the day sky. "Come here. You're soaked through."

Not even wanting to be told twice, Parsley walks to the campfire and sits down near it. She takes off her shoes and immediately feels how her icy toes are being warmed up by the sun and grass. The brown tree branches turns black inside the flickering flames.

"Of course, some deities and fays hate, despise even, you humans," Sphynx starts quite bluntly, but Parsley listens without taking her eyes away from the warm yellow and orange glow. "Of course, I base this all on my own theories and what other much older familiars have told me. Your mother's race – the one who possess no magical abilities – chased them nearly to an extinct, tore their very lives apart and tormented them for many hundreds of years. Those that have lived long enough to witness all of that will possibly never forgive humans. And quite honestly, I wish they wouldn't."

"You hate humans, right?" Parsley smiles a little, not at least bit surprised by it. Though, she feels a little sting of sadness that she is used on carrying whenever the topic rose up. When he looks at her with a flicker in his gaze, she lets her smile widen. "Papa told me once. Though, he has never said why."

Golden irises look at her and she meets them steadily. Sphynx stays silent for a while, measuring her, but then comes closer and leans against her, despite how wet she still is. "I don't hate you and your family."

"Thank you," she says it so happily that a bright smile can be heard on her tone. Her cheek start hurting from the way they stretch themselves. "We love you, Sphynx."

He humps and turns his head away. He is clearly embarrassed. "Anyway, I am sure that the spirit that we saw finds humans displeasing. Though, from her reaction to your presence, we can say it is more than that. However, I have never seen a tree spirit before, so I am not sure what caused it to take...such an appearance."

"...she looked so aggrieved. Like she didn't only want to kill me, Sphynx," Parsley says with fear on her tone. "Do you think that there are more around here?"

"No. Now that I can smell more, I can be certain that we have left those creatures' land behind. You don't have to worry," the cat answers with a flick of his tail and licks the cold skin on her palm. "Shouldn't you take your clothes off?"

The answer to that question is clear. " _No_. If we are close to people, I don't want to take risks. Besides, with fire this near and the warm sun warming me the clothes will dry in no time."

"Suit yourself," Sphynx shrugs and then lays down more comfortably. "I can't exactly pinpoint our location, but from that magical presence back on the upper stream of the river I could say that we are somewhere near Murky Way or the Old Land of Fields. Luckily you didn't transport us to the human world, right? We would be hopeless navigating through it."

Parsley shivers. "Please don't even bring up the idea. Mama, papa and Orick would freak out."

Sphynx merely chuckles. "Their faces would surely be an interesting sight to see."

"Sadist! Their reactions will be more than horrible enough, when someone calls them and tell that we are on the other side of the magic world," the woman barks out a laugh. She feels better while talking like this with her feline friend or maybe she is so relieved to get herself back around humans that she can't stop herself from being a little giddy.

"No doubt they will order you to move back to their house," the cat laughs along with her.

For some time, there are no spirits, fairies or anything dark lurking around the corner. It is simply the woman and her cat together next to a fire that continues burning. The human laughs, and the cat chuckles to anything they find amusing in their conversations. This is how things continue lightheartedly for a while, without worries or fears to rip apart the warm moments.

However, neither of them notice new shadows forming in the shade of the trees.

* * *

She hadn't expected it at all.

At first, Parsley thinks she is merely imagining things and that what she feels and sees are not real. However, the minute something cold and hard is pressed harder against her neck, the woman feels the gravity of the situation sink in.

She is surrounded, like a mouse in a corner with a cat. However, what is more bizarre is that how the "cats" possess masks. To her, all of them are like blank pieces of paper. She sees them in a blank light. Why? Because of the masks they all worse. You wouldn't be able to tell what their faces look like, because of those. From a cat mask to one that resembles a dog. Those are the ones that she is able to spot from her angle, before the weapon had appeared.

There are more than she has counted around the place – Parsley is sure of this.

But what makes the cat and woman more alert is the fact that they all had appeared out of thin air. At first the two were walking and at the next second, they weren't alone anymore.

Parsley's body starts to shake, after the blankness from shock in the head starts to fade away. She becomes aware of everything that is happening and nearly jumps from the sound of Sphynx hissing and growling. One of the strange, terrifying people had picked him up by the scruff of the neck. A tip of a sharp sword is pointed near his head.

The woman's eyes widen in panic and she tries to move away from the one holding her with a deadly grip on her arm.

The grip tightens to the point that she cries out in pain. "Anata wa dare?"

"P-pardon?" Parsley manages to ask through the pain. Though, she cries out again, when the blade starts to make her neck sting. A wound has no doubt appeared and she starts to feel how her knees buckle against one another.

Sphynx trashes around even more wildly, after hearing his friend cry. He growls and hisses loudly. "You! Let go of her this instant! I will claw your hands off!"

The masked people flinch, all of them drawing their weapons and Parsley also flinches violently. They must be surprised that the cat can talk, which could mean...

They start to speak, but the language that is used is something Parsley has never heard before. The fact makes her stomach twist in unease. The one holding her in place yes something straight into her ear, but she simply shakes her head violently in confusion and pain.

"I-I don't understand! What are you even saying?!" She knows that if she can't understand them, they can't understand her or Sphynx. She cries again, when the blade presses itself closer. "St-stop!"

Sphynx looks livid, despite the sword that is still also near his furry face. "You dirty humans! I said let- Gah!"

Parsley shrieks loudly this time, as she watches the blade sink into her friend's shoulder without a warning. The cat's cry sounds horrible to her ears and her eyes widen, tears dripping down from them, from the blood stain that is left on the sword. Drops of red fall down from Sphynx whose small face is twitching in pain.

"Sphynx!"

"Anata wa dare?!" The question that she had heard once before repeats itself loudly next to her ear.

This time the hazel eyes see the blade directly in front of her face. As it nears, she becomes more focused on the sharp shape, the one that could actually pierce through her flesh, just like with Sphynx. His blood is making a small puddle on the ground, but the cat keeps on growling and hissing weakly. And the masked people keep on growling, yelling or speaking back with terrifyingly calm voices under their breaths. Either way, all those words, or maybe sentences, are directed at either Parsley or her familiar. But because the brown-haired woman doesn't understand them, she becomes even more horrified.

There is only one language that is used in the magic world and that is English. However, this clearly isn't that language and the swords, mask, sudden appearance and strange clothing prove it.

So, all of this means one thing: Parsley and Sphynx were in the human world. Exactly where around there? The woman has no idea. Though, clearly not anywhere civilized.

Cruel facts that this might be the end in the hands of barbarians makes the brown-haired young woman tremble more violently. She is already crying openly, and Sphynx isn't there to lick the salty tears away like during the moment near the giant boulder. Something wet, other than water, appears between her legs and Parsley wants to cry more loudly than before. The problem is that she still has a weapon pointed at her and despite the flush of shame, fear is more powerful.

She closes her eyes tightly shut and thinks about the people she would never see again. _Mama, papa, Orick...Sphynx._

 _Help me._

* * *

 _It's so dark,_ that is what Parsley keeps thinking.

She isn't able to see a thing no matter where she looks. There isn't any scents around and it is absolutely silent. No Sphynx's hissing or making a racket, nor those strange masked people speaking with that strange language of theirs.

When a human is put in a space like this, they might slowly grow mad. Constant isolation makes the mind play tricks and the victim starts to see things that aren't even there. Also, the darkness is not what could actually help anyone in that kind of situation. In fact, the brown-haired woman starts to slowly whisper under her breath. The sound of her own voice is somewhat comforting.

Parsley rubs her face against her wrists that are tied together by rope. She can tell what it is by the rash and hard sensation against her skin, but it gives her something else to think about. Like that her legs must be in the same condition because she can't move them either. Also, she isn't sure where she is laying on anymore. At first, she thinks it is a very hard and cold thing she is sitting on, but now it feels so much softer like the grass she had laid on next to the river – actually, Parsley starts to think she heard the water rush again at one point.

The darkness shifts and instead of looking at the constant shadows she sees the desk back in her apartment. The lines on the wood form long strings on its surface and twist along it like thousand snakes. The wind blows through the window against the woman's face as she watches a single bird fly by. Pink flowers bloom from the walls and Sphynx curls up into a ball next to his human friend. She wishes to stroke him and hear those familiar purrs. She reaches towards him with both of her hands, but the second her fingers nearly brush against him, he disappears. Parsley knows that he isn't here but can't hold back an aching pain of disappointment in her chest.

Another thing that aches is the wound on her neck – small or large? She can't tell.

After those terrifying people had tried to "talk" to her, everything went black. Parsley can't recall anything else, but an aching pain on the back of her head the moment she woke up. Sphynx wasn't or isn't near, she can just tell. They had been taken with hostility.

 _Who are these people? Are we being kidnapped by terrorists?_ She knows what that would mean, and a tear falls down from her eye followed by a second and third one. She is crying again and is able to remember the soaked jeans. Their stench reaches her nose and a strangled cry leaves from her lips. Her body turns cold from terror. _I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! I screwed up! Now we are going to get killed? Is Sphynx even still alive?_ The image of his blood dripping down to the ground makes Parsley curl up into a ball on what she now understands is a cold chair. Sharp pain keeps attacking her from the stomach and chest. She is nervous, hurt and afraid. _Please be alive. Don't leave me alone in here._

Something creaks, and Parsley jumps from fright and shock. That is the first sound that isn't coming from her head. Blinding light hits her face and she cringes. Coldness spreads from the tips of her toes to the top of the head. Heavy footsteps come into the room that used to be closed and the woman feels a heavy gaze directed on her. It is obvious, because she is clearly the only one in the whole place.

The door closes heavily and whoever has entered walks towards the woman in the middle of the room. There is a desk in front of her and papers are placed on top of it by the man dressed in black. Unlike those with the masks, his face can be seen. Brown hair, dark brown eyes with lines marring middle-aged features and a large, black cloak covering the rest with dark gloves. Strange headband is tied around his head, though, and hazel eyes find themselves staring at it in puzzlement and slight fear.

Parsley feels how her face pales _. Is that... a mark of the organization?_

Suddenly, another bright light appears, and it's directed at her face. She lets out an uncomfortable sound in the back of her neck, closes her eyes and leans back.

 _"What is your name?"_ The man speaks with that strange language Parsley heard before. He drags another chair back, the heels screeching against the ground. The sound can make anyone's ears bleed, but he isn't even noticing the frightened look on the brown-haired woman's face.

Parsley has missed seeing another face for quite a while, she really has. That is what living in a forest for a week with a cat can do to you. The solitary treatment she has received hasn't lessened that desire, but right now she wants to do nothing more than to back away from this person. He is a _terrorist_. The strange headband and the foreign language are both pointing to that. Also, the masked faces of the ones who had brought Parsley here kept mulling in her thoughts and she isn't able to stop cold shivers from spreading across her body.

When she opens her eyes, the light is still sharp, but she has gotten somewhat used to it.

The man slams his hand down to the table loudly, terrorizing her even further. The wood shakes and the papers nearly go flying around the place. _"What is your name!? Answer me!"_

Parsley is frozen, as she stares up at his face. The lines have become deeper and he is obviously glaring at her, being angry at her. However, she can't speak, because of the absolute terror that is freezing every small vein and muscle. The only thing that differs from that kind of sensation is the burning one in her eyes. The cold gaze she is receiving doesn't change from the tears that slide down her cheeks.

 _"Who sent you!? What is the name of your village!?"_ The man yells, making the poor woman before him shake badly.

That does it. Parsley opens her mouth, but strangled sounds leave from it. "...a...I...W-w-wha-"

 _"Stop acting retarded and answer the questions! Mist, Sand, Lightning? Which one?!"_

Parsley doesn't truly understand what the man is even yelling about with that foreign accent. He doesn't rise up from his seat, but the intimating atmosphere is skyrocketing. Suddenly, she is missing the silent and embracing darkness, for the light is too bright and piercing.

She shakes her head quickly, with tears wetting her face. "I-I don't un-understand! I really- r-really don't understand what y-you are even saying! Does- does anyone h-here speak English? _English._ I s-speak-"

 _"Quit speaking gibberish!"_ The man's expression is angrier than before, and he once again slams his hand down. Small whimpers that are a sign of vulnerability don't have any effect on his stone face.

The room is silent for a while and the only thing that can be heard is the echo of Parsley's cries. She tries to hold in the tears inside her eye socks but can't. If the incident with the masked people hadn't happened, Parsley would be wetting her pants by now. In these kinds of situations, people need to stay calm, but it is proving to be quite difficult for her. Chill travels down the spine, when she even tries to twitch her body away from the man. What if he kills her from slight movement?

Brown eyes observe the teary hazel ones that lower their gaze to the table. _"Your darker skin tone suggest you might be from Lightning."_

 _What does he want now?_ Parsley nearly grumbles in distress and wants to bury her face into her hands. She could always use whatever magic she has to free herself from here, but with that came their own risks – she knows them very well. Every time the children of magician families are born, all of them are taught a very important rule that nobody can break without consequences. Never let non-magical beings know about their existence. If somebody finds out, erase the memories of that moment. If you purposely tell about what you are without a good reason, then you are thrown behind bars. Cases like Parsley's mother are not uncommon, though.

Parsley is snapped quickly back from nearing depression by a hot, white pain on her face. A gloved hand has connected with the skin of the wet cheek, causing her to nearly fall over from the chair. Shakily, Parsley gasps. Her cheek starts to throb painfully and her teeth grit together to prevent a sob from breaking through them. The force of the hit has made her head turn to the side and she keeps staring at the ground with wide eyes.

Goosebumps spread all over her body.

 _"Don't space out. Keep your eyes on me,"_ the man dressed in dark speaks fairly calmly compared to his earlier outbursts. The change stills the very air in the room. _"I'll strike you as many times as I have to. Now, let's begin again, shall we? What's your name?"_

The throbbing continues on the spot that will definitely form a bruise sooner or later. Honestly, nobody has ever hit her like this and the brute strength behind it is making her feel like a helpless child.

However, this is only beginning, for she doesn't think this is all they could do to her.

"STOP IT!" Screaming makes her dry throat crack under the pressure, but she continues doing so anyway. Her whole face is throbbing and feels like it's on fire.

The thick, wooden pole is brought down again, and she cries out in pain. This time, it is her right arm that gets taste the harsh impact. Bruises are slowly forming everywhere, but the attacks don't cease from cries and tears. Instead, they seem to become even harsher.

Parsley is not allowed to move from where she is cornered to. Every direction she tries to move to are the places where she will be hit next. Still, even if she stays as still as a dead person, they won't stop it. Parsley's ears are ringing from the shouting she has been doing and the yells of the three men surrounding her. All of them wear black and have that same cold look on their faces.

They just keep raising their voices, but don't seem to buy that she doesn't understand them. Even when her shrill cries becomes louder than their own voices and she curls down on the floor in a fetal position. Blood trickles down Parsley's forehead and she wishes for them to just kill her already. They must be trying to interrogate her, because there is a new blow between the words they say. But whenever she manages to say something and only with her own language...

 _This is torture. It hurts. Please, stop. Somebody..._

 _ **...help me!**_

Parsley covers her face with her tied up hands to protect it from yet another attack. It hits her arms and she bites down on her lower lip. This is how it goes: burning pain that will turn into dull throbbing, tears and screaming and then only a small break before it all starts again.

This isn't anywhere near that burning hell Parsley endured through the casting of the wrong spell. It is far less painful, but not bearable. Everyone sometimes wonder what death feels like, when will it come or will it be painful. Now, the hazel eyed woman is thinking those sorts of things in her terrified mind. She wants to know; how long will she have to endure this anymore and will she die?

The latter makes her heart clench in cold ice, but she can't currently do anything other than focus all of her nerves into the areas that are being struck.

"Stop, please!" She is trying to make them cease the violence, again. Her cries fall to deaf ears.

 _"I ask you again: Who are you? What is your purpose here? What of the cat that was with you?"_

"For the _thousand_ time, I don't understand what you're saying!" Parsley nearly roars this in hysteria, but her throat's state prevents it. How many times she has screamed by now, exactly?

 _"This really isn't going anywhere,"_ the one on the right with the pole lets out a sigh that sounds frustrated.

 _Or is it the one on the left?_ Parsley doesn't care anymore. That tone is something close to giving up and she allows her body to remain in its rigid state, but keeps her eyes closed. She doesn't think that they are done yet, but when another blow doesn't come Parsley nearly goes limp from relief. There is still nothing to be glad about, though.

Until this moment, she has mostly been worried about being hungry, dirty and lost. Talk about change of circumstances to a drastic level. She is alone with these torturers – no Sphynx around and without a way to escape. Dealing with that tree spirit was bad, but this is all beyond worse.

How can humans do these sorts of things to others like them?

This must be similar to what the ancestors of magicians endured. Questioned and hurt by the ones that were no different from them. Hunted by those that wore the same face as them and yet never seen as an equal. That made them all feel helpless and afraid, because not even humans could share their pity to them and end all the turmoil. For such a thing to happen to the ones in the modern world was unheard of. The Dark Times were over.

 _Then, why is this happening?_ There were clearly still many hostilities between normal people and their countries in human world. Everyone, even magicians know that the other world isn't as peaceful as their own. But the hazel eyed woman has never been able to comprehend where those kinds of negative feelings could get a person. Now, she knows – beaten up, frightened, starved and bleeding. She pitied every single person that had to go through this and died. Though, maybe they suffered more painful end than she could ever imagine.

The man suddenly decided to change something, so one of them pull Parsley up by her hair. She cries again, but he doesn't bat an eye to it and starts dragging her towards the table in the middle. By the time that she is seated, she is afraid that she has a bald spot on her scalp from vigorous tugging her strands endured.

A new face steps into the room and for a moment the light outside is calling out to the tied-up woman, until the door slams shut heavily. The person is taller and bigger than the other three that had left as soon as he had stepped in, which makes him far more intimidating. Hazel eyes don't look up at him, but Parsley can hear how his heavy footsteps approach the table like a silent threat.

 _"You don't look like much. I don't understand why they have had such a hard time with you,"_ he speaks with a voice that is quite deep and rough.

Parsley makes no movement to acknowledge him, since she can't even know what he is saying. She's simply glad that he isn't hitting her.

 _"Now, let's try something different."_

Papers are placed on the table and the woman sighs quietly under her breath. On the inside, she is crying. They are going to probably yell at her again, when she answers with something they can't understand. Do they think that a gentler approach will make her automatically speak their tongue after a heavy beating? She almost wants to laugh, but the sound is stopped, when she sees a picture that is pushed towards her.

 _"The vermin is your companion, correct?"_

It is like the pain numbs from the mere sight of the cat's image in a small piece of paper. However, Parsley's heart skips a beat and her eyes widen from the way he is shown in it. Her hands, purple and blue under the long sleeves, clench into fists and tremble. The breath stops flowing in and out of her nose, which the woman doesn't notice until the lack of oxygen makes her feel lightheaded – or maybe she is feeling dizzy because of something else entirely.

What she does notice, on its early stage, is a boiling sensation in her gut and how her eyes burn. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up. _How_ _ **dare**_ _they?_

Immediately, she is reminded of the time, when she had been barely aware of her surroundings and seen Sphynx float in the air beside her after the spell had gone wrong. The golden orbs are closed like during that time and even the stillness reminds her of a corpse. Dark pecks cover the grey ground that he lays on. The shoulder that had been stabbed is still open and not properly taken care of, which is truly worrisome. The wound could definitely get infected, but that really isn't the main point. Sphynx is somewhere out there, looking like this and these people are doing gods knows what to him. He looks half-dead in the picture already.

Parsley feels livid and for the first time looks through her blurry vision at the newcomer. She freezes from the rough two scars that are running across his even rougher looking face – the scars look as if a wild animal has attacked the man at some point.

He smirks, probably from the expression she is making and from finally looking at him. _"What do you think is going to happen to this feline, if you don't cooperate?"_

Hazel eyes watch the gloved finger tap the corner of the picture, tauntingly. Parsley still doesn't understand a word, but that doesn't stop her from putting pieces together.

"W-what..." her voice is unstable, she can barely think.

The man raises an eyebrow from under a dark bandana. It has the same symbol on a metal plate like those other men. He smirks _. "Are you ready to talk?"_

"...what h-have you done with Sphynx?" She isn't daring enough to raise her voice. Just speaking this calmly is making her recall every hit she received from doing so. "Where i-is he? Did you people...k-kill him? Where is my friend?"

The man frowns from the response but doesn't show any signs of anger. But there is a twitch of frustration. _"It says here in the report you and this cat were found in the forest near the village. The cat seems to be able to use fire jutsu and has an ability to talk. He must be a ninneko, but we haven't found any proof that he is one of those that live around here nor is there a record of him. We have tried using several sources that might help in identifying him, though. Still, nothing has been helpful so far..."_

Parsley can't stand listening anymore and sits up with her shaky feet. She is seeing red. "Stop speaking as if I can understand a thing! Where is Sphynx?! If you dare to hurt a small cat, then you all are just walking pieces of _sh_ -"

She can't finish that sentence, when a sharp, dark knife is impaled down at the picture of the cat. Her mouth clamps shut, but she wouldn't be able to speak anyway. The tip of the weapon has hit the part of the picture where Sphynx's wounded shoulder is. Parsley feels how her stomach turns over and takes a step back, the back of her leg hits the chair. Horror fills her features and she is waiting for what could be thrown at her next, but it doesn't happen. The man seems strangely pleased and pulls the knife back up.

Parsley keeps her wide eyes on both the knife and male.

 _"So, you really care about this animal,"_ he says and even sounds pleased. The strange knife is twirled around from a hole on its handle, before it is thrown down at the picture again.

Parsley flinches but doesn't move. Has she made a mistake by yelling? Does this man threaten to really get rid of Sphynx, if she doesn't answer him? Can't he or anyone else in this place see that she just can't? Why don't they believe her?

The smirk on the scarred man's face widens an inch. He mumbles something under his breath.

The knife is now on top of Sphynx's head, covering it almost completely. With blood in the picture and the cat's limp form, it looks like he really is being pierced by the weapon. Though, he may as well be a goner by now. From the methods this organization has used, you can do the math and conclude that mercy is not in their dictionary.

 _Sphynx._ That name is what Parsley calls out for in her head. It is the sound of helplessness that she hears from it. A cry of a child that has lost its ability to speak. A flame of anger still burns but diminishes under the waves of ice-cold water and makes her shiver. The brown-haired woman sits back down limply, submitting. She has to stay meek, otherwise who knows what will happen. _Please be alive. I beg of you. This idiot will even do her best to stay alive. We will get out of this together._

 _"Now, give me your name and the name of your village."_

"..."

 _"I told you to give me your name!"_ Her silence makes the man yell out and she flinches. With those scars and the tall build of his, it is like facing with a monster. _"Do you think that your silence will provide any protection or that we won't find out about anything that you and that cat are hiding!? No, we will break through any sort of defense you might have by force and break you on the way!"_

Parsley flinches again, when the knife raises and swings down at the picture. Her eyes widen, as the sharp end cuts it in half in a blink of an eye.

She cries again. Sobs echoing against the empty cold walls.

The dark eyes looking at this turn into steel.

* * *

Sphynx's eyes are merciless. In all his long life for a cat, he doesn't ever remember looking at someone like this. Oh, wait. He does recall few times, but those things seem minor compared to this. His shoulder is throbbing. Hot, seething, irritating pain sends jolts of electricity all over his body from the injury. His fur is standing up, his tail that is kept down with chains is also doing the same. He isn't feeling angry, but livid.

Shapes that are supposed to be blurry to a human eye are clear as a day to a cat. It isn't one of those masked people, but someone wearing a dark coat. Sphynx calculates two more in the box-like room with a single door in it.

Golden eyes shoot up to glare at the closest one and a low growl erupts from the depths of the cat's chest. He isn't afraid of these people. Not in the slightest. In fact, their actions simply put fuel into the fire. Like now, when one of them sticks out a stick-like object, but when it touches the cat, sparks fly all around the feline.

He feels how electricity runs across his body. It burns every sense he has, nearly numbing the pain on his wounded flesh. Stars dance in burning vision and he closes his eyes, letting one loud yell before falling down limply. The effects of the electricity is still in his system, though. It turns into tingling after a while, but as soon as it does the process is repeated again.

 _Fools._

What do these humans think they will accomplish by doing this, is what he keeps on thinking in the midst of the cycle of pain. All they are doing is poke him around like there is no end and speak with that strange language of theirs. They are so hardheaded that they can't get it through that Sphynx doesn't even understand them. Truly, he sees these two-legged creatures as nothing but idiots.

They are so desperate to get something out of him that it is pathetic. Though, the cat will give them credit for withstanding the stench of his flesh and blood this long. He certainly knows one person who wouldn't like it.

The long, wavy auburn brown hair is the first thing that comes into his mind. Then the hazel eyes covered with tears and his friend's features twitching in pain. That is how he saw Parsley during the last time in the forest – the last time before everything went dark.

He can still feel how his vision almost turned into crimson from seeing her being handled so roughly. Sometimes cats have their differences and disagreements, but his kin never even thought about truly harming or killing another cat. That is why...

 _These humans are repulsive!_ He growls and tries to bite down on the hand holding the stick. Unfortunately, it is too far away for him to reach it with his glowing white teeth. _I have no time for someone like you people! That child is definitely crying somewhere because of you!_

Sphynx wouldn't speak again. He has already done that mistake once. Revealing his true abilities to normal people is punishable by law. Though, he isn't exactly sure, if these humans are even normal. The way they had appeared out of nowhere in the forest is still a memory that haunts the cat. He can simply tell that it hadn't been a spell, but there didn't seem to be other explanation for it. And that is what makes these humans dangerous enemies to the familiar, because he doesn't understand what is going on.

What Sphynx does get is that Parsley is suffering the way he is. Though, she is much more delicate in mind, so he keeps worrying how long it is going to take for her to break down. But even if she does, these humans wouldn't stop there.

Parsley would be broken physically as well.

 _As if I will allow it to happen!_ Sphynx almost screams these words out, when the electricity attack comes again. He truly desires to rip this man's face off.

 _"It's no use. It doesn't respond other than with growling and hissing,"_ the man lowers the stick and turns to other two.

The one holding few layers of papers scoffs. _"Do you think that those ANBUs have finally lost it?"_

 _"Don't be a fool!"_ The third man barks out angrily. _"This cat could be a ninneko and simply pretending not being intelligent enough. And since when ANBUs have been mistaken about something they have seen and heard with their own eyes."_

The one with papers shrugs. _"It could have been genjutsu. The female prisoner in other room could have done it, right?"_

 _"That is the possibility and that is why we need to keep trying to get necessary information out of her. However, she seems to be proving to be quite difficult. They say that no matter what you do to her she keeps on spouting gibberish that nobody can't comprehend. I say that she got hit on the head too hard."_

 _"Hey, isn't Ibiki-san the one doing her interrogation today?"_

 _"If that is the case, she will crack up soon enough. How long do you wanna bet she will last?"_

 _"I say five minutes."_

 _"Seconds."_

Sphynx frowns, not liking how the humans' tones have changed. They sound amused and he can see how their mouths curve into smirks. An animal's instinct about danger is always right, but to the feline's surprise the men start to leave the room.

In a way, Sphynx is happy that he doesn't have to stand their poking anymore. But he is frustrated because he wasn't able to land a scratch on them. Few red lines across their faces would have fit perfectly.

As if sensing his thoughts, the last one turns around to face him. The golden eyed creature doesn't bother recalling what he has done to him and simply gives the human another glare. The man frowns, his own dark eyes giving back an equal glare.

 _"Dirty rodent."_ The door is slammed shut.

 _I didn't understand that, but it was definitely something nasty!_ Sphynx snarls but tries to settle down. There is no telling, if someone is still watching his every move.

Still, he can't simply keep on laying in this room like a lazy housecat. Well, technically he is, but not with these kinds of circumstances. First, this place smells nasty enough and he can't stand it. Secondly, there is no warm fireplace for him and a soft lap to lay on. Back at Parsley's house he had those things. Not to mention that he is feeling rather hungry. Parsley will surely give him a nice sardine later, once all of this is over.

Speaking of his friend, that is the one who he needs to get to first. That is what he needs to concentrate on accomplishing... The question is how.

 _They didn't even have enough decency to undo the chains._ He proves the point by struggling a little against the bindings making them rattle in the dark. They are too tight, though, and he slumps down in defeat. Well, this is certainly good for those humans. Because if they hadn't been smart enough to chain him, then Sphynx would have definitely attacked them. Though, getting out of these things isn't that difficult. They don't have magic suppressing qualities, so he can simply undo them himself.

Still, like he thought before, anyone could be watching him right now. But he can also ask _them_ to help him out a little.

"I know you're there… Fairies," Sphynx whispers quietly to the air. To others, it may seem like he is simply moving his furry mouth, but there are creatures that can hear him.

A moment, two, three passes in silence. And he is about to open his mouth again, when a soft giggle reaches his sharp ears that twitch from the sound.

"My, my~" the voice continues giggling. "I never thought that someone with a form of flesh would call to us again."

"A cat, a cat. Furry and lousy cat~"

"Chained and down~"

"Oh, poor, poor cat~"

Sphynx's black pupils narrow. He knows what he is getting himself into, but is somewhat regretting it by now.


	4. Chapter 3: The monsters

_Chapter 3_

 _The monsters_

* * *

Sphynx stares and the fair-haired creature stares right back at him. Although, with amusement and twinkle in its blue eyes.

There are other fairies in the empty room as well, giggling while whispering to each other. No doubt that they are talking about him, the one who looks half-dead on the floor and he wants to start hissing at them, but the cat knows that it isn't wise. He doesn't pay any attention to others and focuses his attention only on this one – the one who seems to be much bigger than the others, almost like a human teenager.

Golden, wavy length of hair descents down iris white shoulders and the fairy lets out a giggle.

Sphynx resists an uncomfortable noise in the back of his throat from the sound. It's like listening to small bells ringing and it is almost irritating to his sensitive ears.

 _"What to do, if you meet a fairy?"_ He recalls the course Parsley once took and words she read out loud from the book. _"Do_ _ **not**_ _anger them."_

Fairies have been called mischievous creatures and there are many reasons for that. Which are not good, at all. The cat familiar has memorized them all and now that the time has come to use that knowledge, he isn't sure what to do. Magic is now almost everywhere. He can feel how it dances across the skin of these fairies, every tip of his individual fur. How every tilt of their heads sends their locks move like gentle curtains that create another wave of nauseous sensation into his stomach. These aren't humans, these belong to a folk that he has encountered only once in his life, when he was much younger.

However, during the first meeting the fairies hadn't been like this. They had been afraid, fearful and weak, but these ones are far from those characteristics.

"Hmm? What is wrong? Didn't you want to talk to us?" The fairy asks and blinks innocently, looking like a clueless child. The other fairies chant after her.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

"Has the cat lost its tongue?" The last one makes every fairy giggle and some even start flying around the place with their transparent wings fluttering and moving the dry air.

"No, it has not," he speaks calmly, hiding his dislike towards the cliché joke.

"My, my! It talks again~," the golden-haired fairy smiles widely. The expression looks unnatural on her pale face and Sphynx nearly bristles from the sight of it. "Tell us, who are you and how come you bear the scent of the faerie? This is the most unusual."

"Unusual!"

"Unusual!"

The smaller fairies start flying around Sphynx. Looking at him up and down like it could give an answer to their question, but none come too close to touch him. No surprise there. He is covered in blood, chained down and definitely has the stench of humans on him.

His claws flex and he lifts his eyes a little. "I am the descendant of animals that served mages. I am called Sphynx, the familiar."

The fairy's smile turns into something resembling a smirk. "A creature of _those_ people, I see. But... that is impossible."

Sphynx narrows his eyes and she merely starts to twirl around among her kin. She also has wings, but they are hidden beneath the silk of her long hair and the ends poke themselves out of them from every twist of her body. Nobody with an iron will wants to admit it, but the way her eyes seem dazed could make them shiver. The blue orbs are so distant and cold that it is almost like she's glaring at the air. Yet, her expression shows no anger whatsoever.

"They have been gone for a long time."

"Long, long time."

"So sad."

"So lonely."

"So..." The fairy appears like a wind in front of the defeated cat. He doesn't flinch nor show any fear on his face, though. She has that same, wide smile on her face, again, but now it looks more sinister. "Bad kitty. It's not possible that you speak the truth."

"What do you speak about, o daughter of the forest?" Golden eyes narrow, clashing with blue. "If you took me as someone who tells lies, you would have not shown your true form to me nor even considered answering my call. I saw and felt your people's shadows and presence. And in return you felt mine."

"Those reasons are not enough to support your claim. You wouldn't be the first one to call for me and my sisters."

"Then, why did you answer?"

From this question, the fairies start giggling again. "Out of boredom, of course. How long do you think that we have been wandering these stonewalls for?"

"I thought that your kind feared humans too much to be near them," Sphynx states rather bluntly.

The fairy simply shrugs and sits down on the ground comfortably. Her golden hair looks stark against the blood and dirt covered stone floor, as it spills across it. The smaller ones continue flying around her and she takes two into her arms, like a mother holding her dear children.

Sphynx's eyes soften from the sight, but only a fraction. He remembers those tree spirits from the forest he and his friend encountered. They also had this kind of air around them for a moment... before turning into savage beasts.

The ends of his fur stand up in a second, but he doesn't bare his teeth at them. _You need their help,_ he tries to spread that tough deeply into his skull. _Think about Parsley. You can't let her down._

"I seek for your help, fairies," he starts slowly and watches for any sort of reaction. The fairy doesn't look at him, but the smaller ones do, and he takes this as a sign to continue. "Humans did not only capture me, but my companion as well. No doubt they have subjected her to undergo the same torture I have. We both need to escape from here-"

His voice gets stuck in his throat, when he feels cool fingers touching the side of his head. Like before, the blue-eyed fairy has appeared much closer than before in a blink of an eye. The blood in his veins flows faster, the animalistic instincts start rising to the surface under the bright gaze of the mythical creature. The sensation against his face doesn't feel anything like a human touch. It doesn't radiate any body heat nor smell like a human hand does. Though, it isn't an unpleasant smell that reaches his nose.

Unconsciously, the feline relaxes. His narrowed eyes close and a quiet purr erupts from the depths of his chest. But a second later he finds himself vary once again and golden eyes flash open.

The fairy frowns from this and lowers her hand. "You don't have to worry. The lowly humans don't see anything what is happening. Our presence makes you look like you are merely asleep. But...if it is us that you are uneasy about, then rest assured. We do not intend to harm those that carry even half of the ancient blood. Though, I am beginning to truly doubt that you are descendant of those children of the Earth."

Her slender finger touches the tip of his nose, freezing the dark furred cat to his place. "From a simple touch, I can tell. From simply feeling the air around you, we can see: You have the power to break free by yourself. And yet here you are. Letting those that have abandoned the teachings of the world beat you and shed your blood on these grounds. You ought to think how you disgrace your ancestors with these kinds of actions. Truly laughable."

"Laughable!"

"Truly, truly laughable!" The small fairies are laughing, but the golden haired one's face has turned into a blank mask – she isn't finding this amusing.

The cat grits his sharp canines together, summoning every bit of his patience to keep himself from biding the finger off from his nose. His senses are burning, but the cat can only feel the coldness of the finger on the tip of his nose.

"There are boundaries for me and my kin to follow. We must not use our powers as we wish, especially against humans," he says surprisingly calmly. "That is how we have survived in this world and made sure that we do not vanish."

"...How many? How many are there left to do that?" The fairy asks and finally withdraws her finger and stands up swiftly. There is a certain distance in her tone, like she is telling a story. "So, you truly have sunk this low? You and your kind?"

"There is nothing low or laughable about surviving and protecting one's blood. Would you and your sisters let your pride get you with a price of your blood?" Sphynx asks.

He should have guessed what would happen from asking something like that. The fairy's golden locks turn dirtier. The beautiful, white gown turns into a tattered rag that hangs on her thin body. The soft glow on her white skin disappears, leaving back an older, wrinkled one. The transformation is like watching a flower wither during autumn or brown leaves fall down from a tree and rot on the ground.

The change can especially be seen in the blue orbs. They are sharper, smaller and colder. Rows of feral teeth come out of the mouth that opens with a snarl. "We shall **not** risk that! I understand the actions you have taken, you can be sure of that!"

The atmosphere is so tense that Sphynx wonders how the humans haven't entered into the room yet. Surely, they are still able to sense the livid presence of a fay no matter how dull their senses have become over the centuries. Even the smaller fairies cower away from their sister like her mere gaze could actually kill them. Sphynx can feel how that intent is directed at him, now.

 _Ooops._

He can't take the words he said back anymore, though. The fairy looms over him. Looking ready to strike from a single, wrong move the cat could make. Long fingernails dig into her palm from the two, tight fists she is making, so it is a surprise that no fairy blood is dripping down to the ground. Fire is burning in the pools of sky blue. It is sending sparks through the air and spreading fast across the sharp face. This fairy is as old as she looks, maybe over a thousand years. And she holds an equal amount of hatred.

The cat is starting to see what had caused those tree spirits to attack and he is glad that Parsley isn't currently with him. He doesn't remember when was the last time that he felt this kind of unease in front of anyone.

After a while, the beautiful, golden hair returns to normal. The white skin glows and the gown is starting to recover to its full former glory. The harsh emotions on the fairy's facial features fade, but something else replaces them. It is just as heavy as the anger, but melancholier and firmer.

It amazes Sphynx how fast this fairy has changed before his eyes. She and the others had been so lively at first. Giggling from his unfortunate situation, even going as far as mocking him. They were carefree, child-like, but now things are far from that. None of them giggle, smile or even have that same mirth in their crystal-clear eyes.

Or so he thinks.

Like from a snap of a finger, the blue-eyed fairy lifts that kind eyes up. Her face is not blank, nor twisted from anger. It is smiling that same, amused smile. That expression wipes away any kind of pregnant silence in any kind of situation.

"We won't help you."

The flower blooms in frozen ice.

* * *

 _"She won't break."_

 _"Should we try more drastic measures?"_

 _"But she already got through Morino-san's interrogation without giving out any useful information."_

 _"She must be a very well trained kunoichi."_

 _"...Can she even truly understand what we are asking?"_

* * *

Parsley cries out again. The stinging on her cheek is burning her skin to the point she thinks it might peel off. Though, she is starting to think all of her four limbs can actually lose their usual functions. She can't move them. Not because of the rope, but because they throb and burn from pain. She can't begin to count how many times she has been hit already.

 _Wait… where did that scar-man go?_

She recalls being dragged up… but how did she end up on the floor again? Weren't there any chains involved? Her memories are blurry.

The air is thick with the smell of sweat. Hers. She hasn't bled, but it won't be that big of a shock when she does. Or she is but doesn't simply notice it. Bruises, black, blue, yellow and green cover her like patches. Parsley has seen them, when she was alone in the room with the lights still on. And let's just say that she is breaking down from just recalling that sight in her hazy mind. It isn't working properly from the lack of sleep and food… or something else.

Yet, another strike collides with her face and a low grunt comes out of her dry mouth. Very weakly, she raises her head an inch to even get a glimpse of the man before her. _Why are you doing this? What is the point?_

 _"Who are you?"_

Parsley shakes her head in defeat for the hundredth time and takes on the pain that follows. This blow is much harsher than the previous ones.

"S-stop...ple-please stop..." she whimpers. "L-let m-m-me go..."

 _"What village?"_

"..."

 _"What is the strange, black device you brought with you? Is it a weapon?"_

 _"What is your name?"_

 _"Why are you here?"_

 _"Whose orders?"_

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

Her eyes are half-open. _What can my words change anymore?_

The beating continues and so do the words. Parsley realizes that they are asking questions from her, but she doesn't know the answers. How can she even communicate with these people with the language barrier between them? Frankly, she doesn't want that. Considering all of these horrible things they keep doing to her. It would be better, if she could understand, though.

Warm, wet tears have already covered her face like a mask. Parsley can only gasp for breath through it and keep her mouth shut. She is tired from all of this. The woman can't comprehend where exactly she had ended up to.

This organization certainly wouldn't keep her locket up in this place forever. In the end, they would either torture her to death, kill her immediately or demand ransoms for her. The latter will prove to be quite unlikely from what Parsley has seen. These people are ruthless.

That man with the bandana and scars across his face had been the worst. At some points he had smiled, but after that the hazel eyed woman remembers screaming with all she had got. Everything had happened like in a nightmare. Too fast, but also painfully slow. Parsley doesn't even fully understand what had happened, yet. The world had gone dark at some point, something had been choking on her, but she hadn't been able to move.

 _Cold, dark, the chilling voice._

 _She throws her head back and gags from the tightness around her sore neck. No air moves in and out of her nose anymore, but she keeps on struggling against the binds. It feels like needles are being pushed deep into her skin._

 _She can choke and let out strangled screams. Nothing else comes out._

A chill runs down Parsley's spine from the memory. Her numb fingers twitch, but otherwise she stays deadly still. This has happened before and yet each time she comes closer to having a panic attack. To prevent that, she tries her best to erase any trace of those nightmarish memories. These beatings she is being given have proven to be quite useful for that purpose. Every time she feels pain, she can't think of anything… expect dying and the cycle of hysteria starts again.

Though, there are moments when images of Sphynx appear into her head. And she becomes even more worried. He has to be alright. She wouldn't be able to bear the thought of him actually being dead. However, if that is what has already happened, she is grateful for not knowing it. For Parsley's very being could shatter from that kind of information.

The assault suddenly stops, and Parsley's head falls limply forward. Her forehead nearly touches the surface of the wooden desk. So close, yet so far.

She rises up from the strong tugs on her tied-up arms and immediately starts struggling. Panic finally gets a hold of her and she trashes around the place, not caring about the way she is being hit on the face from her behavior. She is trembling violently, as her feet drag themselves across the dirty ground.

 _Where are they taking me!?_

The light that comes out of the door is blindingly bright. It burns too much and angry red, hazel eyes close tightly shut. They hadn't let her out of this room before, why would they be doing that now? Only terrible ideas come into Parsley's mind and fear grips her heart tightly. She lets few screams tear their way out of her burning throat.

 _"Shut up already!"_

"Don't k-kill me! Please, don't kill me!" Parsley keeps on screaming those words out, praying that what she fears won't come true. That wish is making her tired hands and legs move wildly with adrenaline.

 _"Should we knock her out?"_

 _"According to our orders, she needs to be awake."_

 _"Just keep on dragging her along. But if she keeps screaming like this, muzzle her."_

 _"Sir."_

Through her blurry vision, Parsley can see that there are no windows in the hallway, which is a shame. She had hoped to have even a glimpse of the outside world before her death. To see the sun, or even the night sky, clouds, trees, anything that had nothing to do with these cold, hard walls. Every place around here had that same, stuffy smell to it and anyone could quickly grow tired of it. Nobody cares, if a prisoner grows quickly delusional from the lack of oxygen, though.

Also, if there were any windows, she would try jumping through them.

Her mind is crystal clear. There are no clouds blocking it nor strikes of pain numbing it. The woman is now ready to fight for her life, as long as she can keep it that is.

What had she ever done wrong? Well, there are few things, but what kind of human being wouldn't do few mistakes now and then. But was it really all worth of what she is going through now?

Parsley should have listened her own head and thoughts, rather than gone along with Sphynx's ideas, like always. That is the reason why she is here, after all. The outcome from wishful thinking ended up making her forget what reality can actually do. She had forgotten to what extent her abilities with magic can actually reach to – terrible end results.

They step into a room. It has brighter lights and more space than the previous one and the air smells much cleaner as well. The floor is smoother. Like someone has just recently cleaned there. Though, the light is too sharp, and the bruised woman has to squint her stinging eyes for few times. Light is supposed to be something she can see and be happy about, but what she feels is far from that. Sensation close to horror makes her insides turn into mush and she nearly falls down to her rear. Suddenly, Parsley can't find any strength in her legs.

She isn't screaming anymore but stays quiet as a mouse in front of a cat. The simile makes her think about her cat familiar again and she repeats his name in her mind many times, while being brought deeper into the unfamiliar room. _Sphynx, where are you?_

Parsley is put down. She falls to her knees from the lack of support and tries to scramble up, but something surrounds her. It isn't another layer of rope, but something harder, like stone. It is preventing any sort of movement down from the neck. This revelation makes her panic grow even more fiercely and tears flow down her face. _I'm scared. Help me. I am going to die._

 _"Let's begging,"_ a male says firmly and comes to stand in front of the sobbing woman surrounded by stone cocoon.

 _W-what..._ Her thoughts are cut off, when a hand lands on top of her head. It is large, rough and warm and Parsley bites down on her tongue without meaning to. It shocks her, how different this touch is compared to the other men. It isn't harsh or cold, but simply there and not intending any harm. A lump forms in her throat and she looks up at the man in confusion, though she still keeps the fear close to her heart and suspicion in her mind.

She can't breathe.

This doesn't make any sense. They were so cruel and emotionless towards her, but now things are so much different. Do they intend to make her soften to them so that she can cut off the "act" and speak their language? No, that doesn't make sense at all. Otherwise they wouldn't have put her inside this strange thing.

Parsley can't see what the man's face looks like, because the pressure on her head grows. The hazel eyed woman flinches and becomes stiff.

 _"Do not resist and this will be easier,"_ he speaks again, voice even firmer than before.

She doesn't naturally say anything back and merely waits for something to happen. Everything falls silent so quickly that the change can't be noticed that quickly. The hairs on the back of Parsley's neck stand up after two heartbeats, because she feels something other than hand spreading across her head. The sensation is barely there, feather-like, but then it digs deeper.

A choking sound leaves from the deepest part of her throat. Other than that, the woman can merely part her lips in silent scream of surprise. Whatever is on her head, it reaches out deeper into her mind, blocking any thought that might come from it. The thing feels like a cold breeze is blowing through a human body and sends chills down the skin. The man doesn't say or do anything, but it is definitely him that is causing this.

Though, what he is doing is definitely not magic – this is far from the sensations that Parsley has experienced over the years. She can tell.

It takes a while, maybe over minutes, but the chilly sensation starts to change. Instead of experiencing cold, something is starting to boil. Like hot water is being poured down onto the flesh. It is accompanied by sharp rocks that scratch and collided with fragile skull and Parsley opens her mouth wide open. Her eyes feel like they could jump out of her eye socks. She can hear a scream, but not anyone else's, but her own.

Knives stab into her head, they dive deeper and deeper until they have run through. Nerves are burning, cracking from the strange unfamiliar pressure building in the deepest part of the brain.

 _I am boiling- I am being boiled!_ Parsley screams with all she has but is not able to move. She gasps for air that seems to disappear from all around her. The hand on her head tightens and the pain increases with it. Black spots fill the vision and Parsley finds herself being near the borders of consciousness.

Then… nothing.

* * *

 _"A failure."_

 _"What?!"_

 _"Yamanaka-san is in the hospital."_

* * *

When Parsley starts to wake up, she is back in that same room where she left from. Everything hurts her. Slight twitch on her arm sends jolts of sharp pain up. Even opening her eyes makes her brain feel like something sharp is poking it. She doesn't remember anything for a while, but when she does a single tear runs down her cheek.

A shuddering breath passes through her chapped lips.

 _I am alive._

There is no joy or sadness in that fact. Her heartbeat is loud in her ears and so are the small breaths she keeps on taking with care. If Parsley even tries to take deeper ones, her chest starts to feel like something is clawing it from the inside. Though, even if it didn't, the new binds around her would keep the woman down to the spot. She has been laid down, wrapped tightly to the point she thinks she is wearing a straitjacket. But what is more frightening is the thing blocking her mouth. It's like a muzzle, preventing any sound from truly coming out and making her feel like an animal.

 _Those people… where is there no limit to their inhumanity?_ Parsley closes her eyes, too tired to keep them open and fight against a headache. Another tear falls down from her eye and she starts mentally whimpering.

She can't take it anymore. All those beatings and screams would definitely continue soon, and she would have to go through them over again. _They aren't human. They will kill me. They will repeat everything they have done to me again. There will be no end to this!s_

Forgetting the pain, Parsley struggles against the binds and her muffled screams echo against the walls. _I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!_

Her screams are cut off, when the door opens loudly. Parsley doesn't, however, seem to notice this and keeps on screaming and wiggling. In truth, she is trying to get away from the approaching person whose shadow grows larger with each step that clicks against the ground.

 _"Hokage-sama, be careful!"_ A man's yell muffles the woman's screams even more than the muzzle does.

The time seems to freeze along with Parsley's struggles.

The person's face becomes clearer after moment and Parsley stares at it with fear and an eyesight blurred by salty tears that won't stop. She is frozen to the spot and can't find any courage or rush of adrenaline in her veins. Although, her heartbeat doesn't calm down and indicates her constant urge to rip herself free and run.

She sees light colored hair, glowing with the light coming from the open door.

 _"What, I thought that she wouldn't respond?"_ The woman crosses her arms and looks down at the other female.

In any other kind of situation, Parsley would have thought that this woman is a savior, an angel send down to help her. But now that she hears her speak that same, strange language, those kinds of thoughts don't have any room in her terror filled mind. The woman's face wrinkles from the frown between her light brows. The skin is pale and smooth, no freckle or flaw seems to have ever touched it.

 _"She must have only recently become fully aware of her surroundings, m' lady."_

The woman turns her head to look at the person who had spoken and Parsley gets a chance to get a simple glimpse at the long, blond hair tied in pigtails. _"Hmph. Then, take off the muzzle. She can answer my questions."_

 _"B-but..."_ The other person is clearly shaken by whatever the blond has said.

 _"Now!"_ The yell makes the woman in binds jump together with the man who starts hurriedly come closer.

 _"Y-yes, ma'am!"_ He reaches out to Parsley's face.

Hazel eyes widen from fear and their owner turns her head away in hurry. A joint crack from the movement, but she doesn't take notice on it. However, she stiffens even further, when the hand brushes against the side of her head and starts fumbling with the muzzle. _Don't touch me!_ Before she can do anything, the thing around her mouth falls off and fresher air touches the lower part of her face.

 _"Why was there a seal on it?"_ The blond woman's voice sounds demanding, if not slightly puzzled.

 _"I-incase the prisoner would try something."_

 _"Has she given you any trouble before?"_

Slowly, Parsley turns her head to look at the beautiful woman who has nearly reached the point where she can be considered an angel. The magician takes her short time to look at the other woman fully. She doesn't seem to wear one of those strange symbols like the other men in black do. Nor is she wearing one of those animal masks. Instead, there is a simple, diamond shaped mark in the middle of her forehead. Immediately, an image of Hindi women in their colorful clothes come into Parsley's mind and she feels further confusion wrapping itself around her. The feeling is nearly as strong as the binds around her.

Also, the man seems to have followed the woman's orders. The way his voice has cracked proves that he is intimidated by this blond whose back is as straight as an arrow. This woman is a superior of some kind and this newly processed information makes Parsley want to squirm her way out of the whole room. If this woman has power around here, then why is she even here? To examine the prisoner?

The hazel eyes waver back to the side, when shockingly rich, brown ones meet them sharply. No matter how you look at it, this woman possesses a strong, confident aura around her. Like a politician or president who can make anyone fall silent by saying few, simple lines.

 _"You..."_ The brown-eyed female stops speaking from there on and when Parsley finally turns her own eyes back to look at her, she opens her mouth. _"What is your name?"_

Because of stress, fear and abuse, Parsley has found it hard to concentrate that much on what people around her say. She can't understand their words, but she has this strange feeling that she has heard these words being repeated before.

The blond is looming over the laying woman, all of sudden. _"I asked you a question!"_

Parsley flinches and whimpers pathetically. What can she do now? The question just keeps her silent with panicked thoughts, so she doesn't open her mouth to try and communicate.

One thing however is certain, as Parsley senses her face turning pale.

 _This woman..._

 _"Answer me!"_

 _...is like the rest of the people around here._

* * *

 _"When did this start?"_ The long-haired woman asks, while Parsley can feel her piercing gaze on her crumbled form. _"The drugs are wearing off, right?"_

 _"Yes, Hokage-sama."_

Parsley flinches, when she sees perfectly painted nails land themselves on the wooden table. They shine in the light of a single lamp; the rest of the place is simply kept in dark.

 _Is she going to claw me with those at some point?_ The silent question makes a small whimper form on the tip of her tongue, but she swallows it. Her hands that had been shaking uncontrollably maybe hours ago, are like jelly on Parsley's side and she is only a little thankful for that. For these people she means. They are the ones who gave her that strange liquid. Though, that thankfulness disappears quite fast.

The young woman swallows another whimper, when the light is directed in front of her irritatingly red eyes. Her voice has turned into a sound that is as quiet as a mouse. "W-what now?"

 _"Let's try this again,"_ the woman that the men seemed to call 'Hokage-sama' slides a picture across the table to the chained female who decided to keep her gaze on her lap.

 _"H-hokage-sama, we have already tried everything-"_

 _"Shut up!"_ The woman says angrily, but her frown melts, when she looks at Parsley. Still, her brown eyed gaze has a cold distance. _"Look at this picture...Look at it!"_

This time, Parsley does jump up in her chair and so do her eyes. They see where that sharp end of the finger points and she follows it down to the square picture. For a second, she feels her stomach drop. This reminds her of the first picture she was shown in here and the result had not been pretty. She can still picture the image of Sphynx clearly in her shattered mind that has almost gone completely numb. The young woman can barely even think straight. Only loud noises or fear make her jolt anymore.

They have truly given her something weird. She is only able to recall the angry face of this woman in front of her and then everything became almost blurry. Some pieces are still intact, though... Parsley can only recall fierce fear choking on her. Everything growing black from after that.

Hazel eyes glance even further ahead to see the pair of those brown eyes staring. No, the blond looks like she is glaring at the smaller female. During their short and horrible time together, where this fierce version of a beauty abused the less fortunate woman, Parsley had come to understand that she and those other men have their differences. While the men had been brute and very harsh, this woman has something sharper to her. Parsley doesn't remember, if this person hit her, but she could feel how her insides start squirming from merely looking at her.

 _She's no better..._ Parsley's eyes turn towards the figures in the back. She can barely see them through the dark. _They are so...alien._

 _"Akatsuki."_ The red fingernail's sharp end is pressed down on the small photograph. _"Do you recognize these people? Are you connected to them?"_

If she could have some courage, Parsley would frown now and look at the woman like she is crazy. Even the blond has not gotten it through her skull that her words can't be understood. It is frustrating beyond belief.

Not wanting to get hit again, the wavy-haired woman leans closer. She winces from the throbbing on almost every corner of her body and nearly falls down forward from her chair. The curtains of greasy hair brush against her cheeks and she shudders from the light sensation. Parsley is feeling tired from all of this. She wants food, a shower, a bed, warmth, but none of those have been provided in here. And no matter how many times she keeps wishing for those things to appear out of thin air and embrace her, she wakes up equally desperate to a nightmare.

So, she looks at the pictures on the table submissively. Her eyes feel awfully tired, though. She can barely even understand what she is seeing with her hazel eyes. Parsley takes her time to look at the pictures. She really feels like passing out soon. but then a cold chill goes down her spine, when every detail of the images sink into her mushy brain. _W-w-what? Are- are these p-people?_ Even her mind starts to stutter.

There are at least four unfamiliar faces staring up at her, if Parsley is able to count right. However, that is not why she almost lets out a baffled noise from the back of her throat. Her whole attention is only on one of the faces that puzzles her beyond believe.

The skin is light colored. And not as light as snow or sheet, but as light as _blue._ Dark lines below the small, beady eyes look like tattoos for a short while, until the cogs start moving and one can realize that they are gills. The whole fish- _man_ , looks like a real-life shark. Sharp, razor teeth poke out from his mouth from the smirk he is making and the metal plate on the headband on his forehead shines even in the picture, like it is meant to. Straight, but somewhat short, dark bluish hair is the last touch to make the whole man look as feral as a real sea creature.

Parsley's head starts spinning. She feels every inch of the exhaustion crashing from just looking at this picture. At first, she thinks she is simply seeing things. That this is all some really unreasonable and stupid joke. However, everything that is currently happening is real. Parsley can feel it from her bruised face to bruised and aching limbs.

 _Is this a real picture? What is up with his skin and those teeth?_ Parsley has thought that all of her unanswered questions have ended hours ago. She is no longer able to even bother to think about them, but now more are popping into her head.

 _"Do you recognize this one?"_ The blond woman points down at the fish-like creature with an inquiring gaze and tone. She has noted how the younger woman keeps on staring at it with wide eyes. This is a new emotion she shows on her face and it isn't close to fear or confusion.

 _Am I in some kind of underground laboratory?_ Parsley's eyes move across the other pictures while cold sweat drips down her back. Luckily for her, the other images look normal enough. They all seem to be men. _Soldiers? Test subjects? Why am I being shown these?_

 _"Oi,"_ 'Hokage-sama's' tone changes and she reaches out to grab Parsley by the shoulder.

The wavy-haired woman stiffens, and her eyes shot up to meet brown ones in pure panic and shock. Her voice is shaky. "L-let go! Pl-please don't hurt-"

 _"I asked you, if you recognize these people! Don't try to pretend that you don't understand a word I am saying!"_ The nails dig into the flesh. _"Now, reveal everything you know, or things are going to get ugly for you!"_

"Stop!" Parsley starts crying, again. The nails are actually quite sharp, and she fears they will soon break her skin. Her body is still feeling like a piece of jelly, but her mind is functioning with amazing speed. This blond woman's grip can break her shoulder into pieces.

 _"Tch! Quit screwing around!"_ Now there are two hands gripping on her shoulders and shaking the frightened female.

 _"Hokage-sama, I-I think that is too much! The subject is not that strong from malnutrition and-"_

Brown eyes whip back towards the men standing near the door. _"Didn't I order you to shut up!? Zip it!"_

 _"Y-y-yes, ma'am!"_

 _"Bring in the cat. We are going to try again from a different angle."_

Even tears are hurting her eyes right now. They burn and sting so badly that it makes Parsley want to rub her hands against them, hard. The stream of words that have been coming out of these peoples' mouths has confused her beyond belief. She doesn't even understand what she did to make this surprisingly strong woman upset in the first place.

When the hands let her go harshly, Parsley almost falls down from her chair. But she is grateful to be somewhat free from the hard grip and raises her frightened face up to see the back covered with two pigtails of blond hair. Strange, black markings are against a red circle that rest on her green coat. Seeing these alien symbols makes Parsley wish to see some letters from English alphabet. Being surrounded by so many unfamiliar things is simply making the poor woman feel like she is going crazy.

The door opens and closes, leaving only two men in the room to watch her. They keep their eyes straight ahead, but somehow the long-haired female knows she is still being carefully watched.

 _I wish I could get used to this._ Oh, how much Parsley wants to simply rub her forehead and bury her whole face into her hands. But more than anything, she wants out of this place.

Some people enter the room again after a short while, which feels like few minutes. The same blond woman is with them, sticking out against everyone else's dark color scheme. But there is another familiar face tagging along with her. It is that same scar faced man who had been torturing Parsley before. The sight of his cold poker face makes her shudder. Hazel eyes look between him and the blond woman with growing fear.

To see these two people who have scared, traumatized and abused her to this point, is like seeing a new kind of nightmare. One that Parsley fears she will never wake up from. She starts to understand that something is going to happen, and she will not like it one bit. Her heartbeat rises over the roof, as her hazel eyes look around in distress, but she can't really see anything in this dark place. Parsley gets to a brutally simple conclusion: they are going to finally kill her.

Her head spins for the second time. Tears of desperation are nearly coming out of her eyes. _Please, God. No, please no._

However, her quiet whimpers stop and the breath hitches in her throat, because of what someone places on the table. All of the thoughts flee away from her mind and dread settles in the bottom of her gut.

Sphynx is there, right in front of Parsley. Locke up in a small looking cage and chained up with a muzzle around his head. Sharp claws trying to take it off and low growls of an angry animal echo in the room. During some other times and moments, Parsley would see this behavior as a warning to get away, but right now happiness and relief makes the air fill her lungs.

"Sphynx!" The sound of his friend's voice makes the cat's golden eyes widen and the feline freezes. Those golden orbs rise up and lock their gaze with soft hazel ones that begin to be covered with tears of joy.

Sphynx stops growling and pushes his head closer to the bars and the people around the room tense. The change in the mood is not noticed by Parsley, though. A broken, but happy smile forms on her face so widely that it hurts her cheeks. She can't recall the last time she has smiled and doing it again feels so good. The woman practically drinks in the sight of her familiar and more tears stream down.

He is hurt. It is obvious because of how his shoulder is in a little weird position. The once beautiful, dark fur with the hue of blue is dirty beyond recognition. The golden eyes have a sharper edge to them, because the dark pupil in the middle looks so thin and feral that it nearly startles Parsley. She isn't close enough to inspect her cat further, but he seems to have had it worse than she ever did. Parsley doesn't have a mirror around, so she can't exactly tell how bad she herself looks to Sphynx, but she most certainly doesn't have limbs in strange positions.

 _He has been hurt._ Parsley wants to hit herself from making her inner voice sound so surprised. _Duh, of course. Did you expect something else?_

"I-I...am s-so sorry... Sphynx," she calls his name with a small voice. The woman can barely get the words out of her mouth properly through thick tears.

Sphynx's ears twitch from the quivering voice and the cat's eyes soften. Though, they are soon filled with agony, when spark of electricity fills his cage. Through the muzzle his yowls are heard faintly.

Parsley's eyes widen in horror and she tries to stand up. However, two pairs of hands hold her down on the seat without budging from her struggles.

"Stop it! You're hurting him! Stop!"

 _"What village do you come from?"_ The man with scars asks and steps into her view so that she can see both him and the cat in the cage.

"I don't understand you people! Are you mad!? Stop!"

The shock attacks stop for a moment, before a man brings a stick closer to the cage and the whole thing begins again.

Parsley continues struggling and screams on top of her lungs. "STOP IT! STOP IT!"

The sparks stop flying for the second time and Sphynx slumps down. His body rises and falls from heavy breathing which is a sign of him being alive. Parsley's breaths are equally heavy, too.

 _"Now, this is very simple. Just tell us who you are, where you are from, what your mission is, and we will stop torturing this cat,"_ the scar man speaks calmly, like he is not affected at all by the screaming.

Parsley looks between him and Sphynx in tears. "Please-"

She is cut off by another amount of electricity shocks on Sphynx.

"NO!"

Being tortured had been hard enough. The physical attacks have left such unbelievable marks on Parsley that she could probably pass out as a punching bag. She has never been as badly hurt as she is now. All those beatings had taken a hold on her and she has come to fear every strike even more. But now Parsley wants to be the target, willingly. She doesn't want to watch her friend getting hurt here.

All of those people in the movies made these kinds of situations look so easy and effortless, so why can't Parsley do anything? She wants to do something to save Sphynx as he twitches in pain. Cold ice travels the length of her veins and her hands clench into fists. She feels angry, enraged, but also afraid and her head fills with panic. _What am I supposed to do?!_

Parsley can only watch through the blurry vision what is happening.

 _"Well, your village?"_ The man's tone is void of any kind of emotion and it's the same with his face.

Her lower lip starts to tremble. "...I...I..."

 _"Do it,"_ the man's expression doesn't change from whatever he has just said.

Parsley learns the hard way what it means and screams again from the sharp light of the electricity. She shakes her head violently. "Sphynx! Sphynx!"

 _"Is that what this creature is called? Sphhiiiynks?"_

The young woman freezes for a second, before nodding vigorously. "Y-yes, **yes**. Sphynx! His name is Sphynx! Sphynx! Now, stop! Please! I beg you! Stop!"

Ignoring her desperate cries, the man looks at the other male somewhere behind him. _"Write that down."_

 _"Yes, sir."_

 _"Woman, what is your name?"_ The pair of steel eyes are on the trembling female once again. Parsley isn't looking at him anymore, though. She stares at the limp form of the cat with completely paralyzed mind, body and eyes.

She can't breathe, because small choked sounds keep coming out of her sore throat. Her shoulders rise and fall too heavily, and she has done nothing more than screamed and cried this whole time. Hadn't she just given them some sort of information? She told them her friend's name and they must have understood what she meant. So why are they still continuing like this? Parsley thought that they had truly tried to communicate with each other for a moment there.

 _Okay..._ The eyes shining with tears look up at the steel cage and at the cat laying there. He is still breathing, but what he is going through is obviously painful. _I-I… I have to get a grip._ She inhales, a stench of burning reaching her nostrils. _Think Parsley, think. You can't let this continue!_ Her body is shaking uncontrollably, like the room doesn't have any warmth left in it. It doesn't help that she is so scared that she can't get her thoughts into a straight line.

Parsley takes in a shuddering breath to calm herself down. It helps a little and she does it again. Maybe, if she tries to communicate with them, they will stop trying to hurt Sphynx? Her heart leaps up from the hope that fills thoughts.

 _"...do it."_

She flinches again from the sound of Sphynx's muffled cries, but she doesn't cry anymore. Though, tears do spill out and trail down her already wet cheeks.

Communicating will be useless.

Parsley wants to hug that crumbling cat close to her chest and protect him from all these people. She wants to get up and do something, but with large hands firmly clasped down onto her shoulder and dangerous weapons around she is as weak as a mouse. Well, not that she could stand a chance in much calmer environment in the first place. In the forest, when she had been lost and scared, it had been Sphynx who made her feel better. But Parsley can't even return the favor to him. _It is always been him there to support you._

If only she could use her magic, or know how, then Parsley could bust them both out of here. A frown mars her face from the thought of that and it irritates her for not being able to control her own magic. It's her energy the spells use to work after all. So why won't they ever work properly?

 _ **"It's all about your will, Parsley,"**_ is what her father had once told her. Sphynx has also said that few times along with all those magic teachers back in the classes. The memories of those words have plagued Parsley to this day, because she can't understand how easy they all made it sound.

Will? Yes, she has had the will to use magic. All of her life, since she has known how to speak and walk – Parsley has wanted nothing more than to be a good magician. And now, she is trying to gather up all of her nonexistent courage up and do something instead of crying and beg... That is, if she really can.

The darkness, the sound of Sphynx and electricity, these scary people around the place are just too much for her to calm down. Depressing thoughts make Parsley's head hurt.

The sparks stop, and everything falls into a deep silence. All anyone can hear in the room is the weak sound of a weeping woman and the harsh breaths of a cat.

The tied up, shaking hands rise up and Parsley places them on top of her chest. She prays that this will work. "Parsley Longboard."

The entire room is filled with new kind of atmosphere. Everyone is watching her more closely now.

 _"What?"_ The scar faced man nearly lifts an eyebrow under his bandana.

Parsley tapped her chest few times. "P...Parsley..." she starts slowly, "Longboard."

The silence in the room is making her nervous to the point her stomach hurts.

 _"Paaaalsei?"_

"Parsley," she corrects softly, but doesn't look up. Her heartbeat is rising again.

 _"Quickly. Write that down. Paaaalsei Looonkpooad?"_

Parsley nods hearing nearly correct pronouncing of her full name but doesn't bother to correct the man for the second time. Right now, she feels like a load has been lifted off of her shoulders. All this time she has been here trying to make these people understand. She has been so scared and hurt by all of this and finally they know hers and Sphynx's name.

 _But still, Sphynx had to get hurt like this because of me._ The guilt gnaws her heart and Parsley can barely even look back up at her friend.

 _"We are getting somewhere,"_ the blond woman speaks after being silent for a long time. She sounds pleased and when hazel eyes look at her, they see arms crossed confidently across well rounded chest and a small smirk on the red painted lips.

There is still guilt and shame in Parsley, but after seeing that kind of expression on one of her captor's face she starts to simply feel angry again. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she clenches her fists tightly. Without thinking Parsley glares at the 'Hokage-sama' with hate. _Don't show me that kind of expression. Don't you dare smirk like that after hurting Sphynx._

Parsley can't remember the last time she felt this angry at someone. Her blood boils, burns every inch of her body so much that she can't see anything else, but red. The hairs on the back of her neck rise up like Sphynx's fur. Her nails have gotten shorter from biding down on them in her nervous and panicked state, but they sure have some sharp angles that dig into the skin of the palms. It hurts, so Parsley stops and takes a new amount of air into her lungs. She looks away but does not swallow her rage.

 _"These are quite strange names,"_ someone mutters from the background, but everyone in the room can hear him.

 _"Investigate those details later,"_ the scar man grunts out and speaks again. _"What about your village?"_

The long hair hangs low, when Parsley lowers it. _Are they still asking more questions? Why? Aren't our names enough?_ Tears of frustration burn, and she slowly shakes her head in defeat.

 _"Hokage-sama, Morino-san, maybe we should consider that she truly can't understand us,"_ someone from the background speaks up.

The 'Hokage-sama' scoffs and uncrosses her arms, before turning her back to the table and walking towards the door. _"Continue this for another two hours and if she doesn't spit anything else out,_ _ **then**_ _we may consider that."_

The metal door closes heavily and no heart beat later Sphynx is being given another amount of shocks across his small body. This time he holds in his yowls, but few sounds do escape from the deepest part of his chest. His small, furry face is crunched up in pain.

Parsley can't believe what she is seeing and jolts up. "No! I-I told you a-already my name! Can't you a-accept that! Stop torturing him already! I will do anything! Just stop! Stop!"

 _"What village do you come from?"_

 _I can't do this._ Parsley shakes her head and feels new bruises forming from the places the men have been holding her down from. Her hopes had been so high, so high that she had almost cried new tears of relief out of her eyes. She can't stop her shaking that has now officially gone from fear and anger to stress and helplessness. She can't listen to Sphynx's cries anymore.

She has been submissive, mostly. She has tried her best not to anger these people any further, but they won't stop their torturing and questions. And they cross the line by hurting her best friend.

"I SAID TO STOP!"

The next thing she hears is the sound of a crack, numbness and her own scream.

The pressure on her left shoulder grows harsher before she can blink and then dislocated the whole thing – maybe even broke the bone.

The new sensation is agonizing and sharp. It burns throughout her whole shoulder and causes a new kind of scream to erupt from her. It makes the throat crack and sting, but that kind of little prickle of pain is nothing compared to the hot, white agony in her shoulder. It shoots down the length of her arm and every weak twitch from muscles makes it worse. Rather, Parsley wonders, if some of the nerves in her arm have been cut off, because she can't lift a finger and the whole left arm stays limp.

The brown-haired woman continues screaming blindly. Tears overflowing and her trashing stops. Parsley wants to curl up down in a fatal position, but she is still being held back and in this uncomfortable chair. At least they have enough pity to not touch the injured side.

Parsley has never been hurt like this. The worst injuries she has ever gotten are minor scratches on her arms and legs, when she had been a child playing in the yard. Now, she pities herself and those that have to go through pain like this even once in their lifetime. It is simply horrible. She starts to fear her whole arm might soon fall off.

The young woman doesn't understand why, but she stars remembering some of her magic classes from few years ago. _**"Now, remember everyone that this spell takes a little time and energy, if you have tears in your use."**_

Parsley is still screaming, but the cogs inside her head are turning. Hazel eyes widen a fraction and the heart feels like it can burst out of her ribcage. There is hope – she has found a way to get herself and Sphynx out of here.

 _"What is the name of your village? What is your mission?"_ The man ignores her state like always, but what he doesn't know is that Parsley ignores him.

Even with her injured arm, she has to try this. Otherwise she definitely will lose the little pieces of her remaining sanity. She has had more than enough of all of this. Parsley will ignore the laws of the magic world, ignore what kind of trouble she could get into. She has a perfectly good and reasonable motive to do this. The only thing she will lose, should this plan fail, is her own life and Sphynx.

One single tear falls down into Parsley right palm and she closes her eyes tightly. It's like the fear and adrenaline are making her remember things buried deep inside the brain. The face of her old teacher appears behind the eyelids and his monotone words flow in. _**"You need a closed-up space..."**_

The door is shut and will remain like that for a while at least.

 _ **"Spread your spell across the room by shaping it in your mind..."**_

Box-like, grey walls, a table, a cage, the chair she sits on, the people holding her and standing around the place.

 _ **"And say these words to the tear..."**_

Parsley inhales and tries to steady her voice.

"H-hear me n-now

Before m-me bow down

Listen o w-wise moon

Make m-my wish come true."

* * *

Everything has fallen silent, again. And every eye is on the female who has lowered her head so that the long bangs are blocking anyone from seeing her eyes. When she doesn't stop the scar faced man walks closer to her, trying to see, if she will react to his closer presence. When nothing happens, and the muttering continues silently under the woman's breath.

 _"Oi, what are you mumbling now?"_ He gets no reaction and by the time five seconds have passed he clicks his tongue. _"Electrify the cat again."_

The sparks fly, but the woman shows almost no sign of seeing them. Though, she flinches, but doesn't do anything else. Seeing this, the man frowns deeply and crouches down, dangerously close to the young woman's face.

 _"Morino-san, do you think that she has broken?"_

 _"...Hey, do you even hear me? What are you mumbling about?"_

* * *

Parsley stiffens but doesn't stop the spell. She can hear him clearly, because of their close proximity. His breath makes some of her long strands move softly against the side of her face, but she wishes not to lose her concentration. Though, her heartbeat is rising and every part of her screams to get away from this person. Tears are already streaming down her face, so she doesn't bother stopping more from coming out. Her shoulder starts hurting more, when unconsciously her body starts shaking.

However, hazel eyes can already see how the see-through tear starts to have blue spots to it. They shine ominously, but Parsley knows better than to judge them for that. The small piece of her own tear is gathering magic into it, her own energy is being sucked out bit by bit.

She can't stop now. Who knows when the next opportunity will come.

"Guide t-the lost into your embrace

L-leave no trace

I-I am y-your friend

L-let the angry o-one's bend-"

Parsley nearly gasps, when she accidentally lets the spell take a little too much of her strength and grits her teeth painfully together.

From the sound of her pained groan, the men start talking again and the tension grows. She lets the last words come out more briskly.

"O-o wise m-moon

C-children of t-the night a-and light

Come t-together

And gr-grand my wish."

Strange, pastel colored blue mist starts to surround her feet. She can feel the moistures air embracing her from all directions like a calming blanket. It relaxes the nerves and almost numbs the pain in her shoulder. Eyelids that cover hazel eyes start to feel too heavy to be opened again and they won't, even when there are obvious panicked yells.

Parsley can feel how every person stiffens inside the room and starts to panic. Who knew that she would become so good at reading the atmosphere? She certainly hadn't expected that.

However, because her spell has become so visible to these people, someone has to notice where the source of this oddity is coming from. She isn't mistaken about that, for someone does finally grab her by the collar of her shirt and lifts her up from the chair. She feels panicked and afraid but doesn't move like a frightened bunny in front of a wolf. Actually, Parsley does feel like an animal while hanging like this.

 _"W-what did you...do?"_ The voice belongs to the scar faced man and by the way he starts to sway the spell is taking an effect on him as well. _"So... you're a spy... after all."_

This time, Parsley actually yelps, when the hand vanishes, and the gravity takes a hold of her. She lands on her feet, but they are too shaky for her to keep standing up, so she sinks down on the cold floor. The back of her head collides with the chair.

Second later, she hears many dull 'thumps and even the sound of the door opening for a second. Someone is trying to – or at least tried – escaping.

 _I have to... move..._ She can barely open her eyes to see a dark form laying on the ground. Then, her lids fall back shut and her head lolls to the side, resting on her good shoulder as she falls down to it with her whole weight. She feels so proud that the spell worked, but disappointed from falling into it herself. In the end, Parsley couldn't keep it from entering into her.

 _ **"Remember to also be careful, when you use the sleeping spell from the third category. This one usually can't be controlled so easily, because the mist is a substance which..."**_

The rest of the teacher's lesson disappear into the depth of memories, when Parsley's head meets the hard floor and she falls asleep.

 _Shit._

* * *

"Human, wake up," the voice is calling Parsley from the slumber she is in. Whoever it is, they sound irritated. "For the sake of the light! Open your eyes!"

The young woman frowns, not recognizing the voice at all and opens her eyes tiredly. "Ugh. Who-"

"About time! You must run before the other humans wake up! Lift your heavy buttocks up!" The voice is high-pitched like a child's, but the sass in it is that of a teenager.

A little pissed off from the rude tone, Parsley starts to sit up from the hard surface. _Where am I sleeping? This isn't my-_

Her thoughts are cut off by a searing pain from her shoulder, when she tries to put some weight to her hands. Parsley cries out and slumps back down with tears prickling from under her shut eyelids. Her face twitches in pain and a hiss manages to escape between her trembling lips. The pain brings back the reality of what had happened, and hazel eyes snap back open from those memories.

 _That is right! The spell!_ Her eyes search around in pure panic, trying to ignore the hot pain from the shoulder. She is still inside the room with the bodies of her captors laying around the place. They are all in a deep sleep, but Parsley fears they will soon sit up with expressions of rage on their faces. But when nothing happens she takes a notice that the room is filled with much more light than she remembers it. The reason becomes clear, when her eyes catch the sight of an open door. Her heart soars from seeing this.

However, she remembers her friend immediately and tries to sit up and is careful with her left shoulder. Hazel eyes look towards the cage on the table in haste and soon Parsley is scrambling up and hastily running to it with shaky legs almost making her trip.

"Sphynx! Do you hear me!?" She raises her voice in panic and worry, looking down at the poor cat behind bars.

His appearance hasn't changed, but he is also asleep like the men in the room. Some part of the fur on his face seems burned from the thin ends and Parsley feels instant anger from seeing this. She is tempted to grab that stick from the table and electrify every single male in this prison but stays put and looks at her friend like in a trance.

Once Parsley sees his chest's rise and fall, she releases a sigh and smiles in relief. "Thank goodness. You're okay."

"Ahem!" The voice that had woken her up coughs from somewhere loudly. "Didn't I tell you to run? Get that cat and yourself out of here already!"

Startled, Parsley whirls around. "Who is there?!"

The voice lets out an exasperated sigh and soon a soft, glowing green light appears in front of the young woman. Parsley lets out a shriek and backs away, bumping her back against the table and making the cage tremble on top of it. The light wavers from the sounds and a form of a very small girl takes its place. Her small, blue eyes look down at the distorted woman with distaste.

A strange, choked sound escapes from Parsley's mouth, as she stares at the small creature. Naturally, her gaze is drawn to the small wings which flap behind the long, wavy caramel colored hair. She can't make clear of their shape nor exact color, but they seem light green to her. However, it isn't the wings that are the most flabbergasting sight, but the fact the small girl could be only as big as Parsley's palm. So small and fragile, but definitely not a human child and someone weak.

Parsley's face feels like its color is being drained away and her lower lip falls. There is only one creature which can look like this and this is the first time she has ever seen one. Rather, she doesn't think many people see a magical creature in a century. First those tree spirits and now a...

"A-a...fairy?" Is what she utters in disbelief and the small creature's face darkens. Though, it doesn't look scary at all.

"You humans sure are slow. Are you going to act like you have got some sense or simply stand there like a senseless fool?" The fairy asks and places her tiny hands on her waist, which is barely covered by a simple, revealing white dress with small branches and leaves decorating it and twisting around her arms like sleeves.

If possible, hazel eyes widen even further. "Y-you speak my language!"

Now the fairy looks peeved. "Of course, I speak the Old Tone! Despite centuries of hiding, my people haven't forgotten how to communicate with _yours_! Hurry up and get out of here, before I will make berries grow out of your dirty ears!"

Self-consciously, the human almost reaches to cover her ears in fear, but then remembers her shoulder and bound hands. Parsley doesn't move, though. She simply keeps staring at the fuming creature in wonder and almost wants to reach out and touch her.

Seeing that her message has not been understood, the fairy flies closer to Parsley's face and points her miniature finger angrily at her. "Are you deaf!? Don't you care what happens to that cat over there!? You humans are truly despicable!"

Her shock of seeing a fairy melts away and she looks towards the cage where her friend is laying in. There is a lock on it, which means Parsley will need a key, but with her left shoulder being what it is and standing inside an unfamiliar building their escape seems almost impossible. Plus, will she truly get them out of here?

"B-but how do I get him out?" Parsley asks with worry and looks at the fairy again. "I don't have a key and-"

"Key!?" The small girl looks like she wants to pull every strand of her long hair off of her small head. "Why would you need such a thing!? Use your magic!"

"But I don't know how-"

"You don't know!? Ugh! Are you that stupid!? Well, it certainly can explain why your previous spell made you fall asleep as well," the fairy mutters the last part under her breath and makes the human blush in shame.

Despite her situation being what it is, Parsley can't help, but to feel excited while talking to a fairy. Even if she has done pretty much nothing but insulted her. Nobody would probably believe Parsley, if she told about this encounter, but at least she has truly met a real magical being. This is something she had wished during her childhood and now that wish has finally come true.

"Unbelievable," the fairy mutters under her breath for the second time and flies down to the ropes tied around the human's wrists. "Stupid humans."

The ropes start to glow and soon they untangle themselves, letting Parsley's hands fall to her side. She winces from how the movement causes the shoulder to throb, but bites down on her lip to keep the noise down.

The fairy flies to Sphynx's cage and the same glow surrounds the lock. After a heartbeat there is a soft 'click' sound and the bars slid to the side. Seeing this, Parsley comes closer and reaches out with her healthy hand towards her familiar. The soft, warm fur under her fingers causes new set of tears into her eyes, but then she stiffens, when they meet something wet near the shoulder area. Even before looking, Parsley knew what it was and swallows thickly. _Blood._

She raises her hand to see red staining the fingers and her stomach drops. _How could they be this abusive towards an animal?_ Anger builds up and Parsley finds herself wanting to hit something hard. Her hazel eyes shift towards the laying form of the man who had been poking Sphynx with that static stick and her teeth grit together. She knows that if she goes too far, she may as well wake them up from the deep slumber. _But... but I feel so angry. I want them to hurt just as badly as I am. For hurting my friend, I want to make them bleed as well. Then,_ _ **maybe**_ _then I can forgive them- No, I will never forgive them for this. Putting them to sleep is just too nice. They deserve to feel my anger. They deserve to go through hell._

The young woman feels repulsed from simply looking at the sleeping males. They look so peaceful and unaware of the emotions she is going through. Even while torturing her, they had gotten peace from it as well. To see someone as weak as a foreign woman twisting in pain and crying her fears out must have been a pleasant sight. They had driven her into a corner and then...

Parsley doesn't realize how deep she is in her thoughts, until a jolt of sharp pain from her shoulder makes her wake up.

The fairy has landed on her shoulder and even though she looks like she barely weights anything her small feet feel like they are digging into the injured limb. She still has an angry frown marring her sharp features. "Do you want to save this cat or kill these humans first?"

 _Which one is more important?_

A chill goes down her spine. "...I-I want to save Sphynx. I want to get out of here."

"Hmm..." The fairy hums and flies on top of the cage. Her blue eyes look at the slumbering cat with a strange look in her blue eyes. "So, he is named after one of those desert beings."

"Pardon?" Parsley didn't catch what she said.

The sky-blue eyes turn into ice, as the fairy turns to look at the human. "Nothing. In case you are wondering, his wounds are not as bad as they look. He will be fine. So, are you leaving or not?"

"Yes, but I don't even know where to go," Parsley trails off. "What country is this?"

"Hm? You don't even know where you are?" Something about the fairy's tone makes the human snap.

"It's not like I chose to be here willingly! I just messed up a-"

A small hand is lifted up. "I don't care how you came upon this place. If you want to get out, you will have to do it by yourself. Whether you can, that is."

"But w-what if I get caught? Please, you have to help us," Parsley begs and manages to pick up Sphynx with only one arm. She holds him close, glad to feel his heart beating. "We just want to return home and get away from this place. But, if these people will find us, we w-will die."

The fairy stays silent for a while and when Parsley looks at her, she sees the small being is playing with her hair nonchalantly. Those blue eyes look almost dull, as they gaze at the end of one of the strands.

Parsley looks down at Sphynx again and frowns helplessly. She hasn't notice it before, but her body is trembling. It's a miracle she can hold her friend up with one arm. The thought of actually running through this building like this makes her limbs stiffen and goosebumps spread on them. Those masked people have to be in here, along with that blond woman. They must not know what has happened yet, so this is a perfect opportunity to run.

 _That is right. I should run. The door is open, so I must simply start moving. Sphynx is still injured, he needs help. The fairy said that he is fine, but I have to make sure of it and get him treated._ The left shoulder is on fire. As long as it won't be moved Parsley can handle the pain. _That's right. I will be fine. There is nothing to fear. I have to simply use magic..._ Parsley stares ahead for a second, before her head slumps down. _I am doomed after all._

"Follow me."

The human woman raises her head to see the fairy fly past her. She turns around with wide eyes and asks hopefully: "Are you going to take us out of here?"

"Shut up and follow already human!"

Parsley doesn't care about the tone she is being spoken with. She smiles faintly and follows the small fairy out of the room and to the hallway in delight. Maybe now she can go home with Sphynx. No matter how far away it is from here. _Fairies can be nice after all!_

* * *

 _"Quickly! Tend to them!"_

 _"Are they conscious?"_

 _"Are there any signs of injuries?"_

 _"No."_

The Hokage looks at the scene before her with wide eyes. Her face is stiff and behind the red lips she is gritting her teeth together as hard as she can to prevent herself from actually crushing the wall next to her. The interrogation room is filled with collapsed shinobi from her village including Morino Ibiki who is the last person anyone would expect to be found in this kind of scene as a victim.

The red nails are close to drawing blood, when few more medics arrive into the room to make sure everyone is alright. As soon as they try shaking the people on the ground, they open their closed eye and look around in confusion. It is clear that even they don't know what is going on or what had happened. Everyone still wants answers, though. Tsunade can feel the frustration building up, despite being glad that her people were not harmed. If anyone wants to know how badly she yearns for information, then they know better than to ask.

However, there is one thing anyone can pick up from this room and come to a simple conclusion. When the fifth Hokage left this room, there had been total seven people and a cat left in it. But now there are only six in here and an empty cage. The sight is ominous, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what has occurred.

Tsunade bites down on her lower lip and draws blood this time. She has made a fatal mistake for believing for a second that that woman was harmless. _She was faking it all along!_

The image of that tear filled, bruised face, glittering and innocent eyes changed inside the village leader's head. The tears turn into dry trails, the trembling lip forms a wicked smile and those soft, hazel eyes form a sly glint. The dirty hair only adds more reflection of what that person is on the inside and it makes Tsunade feel livid.

 _"Damn it,"_ she hisses under her breath and looks down at the ground. Her face has now formed a fierce scowl.

 _"Hokage...sama?" A_ familiar voice of a top integrator calls out roughly, snapping Tsunade back.

 _"Ibiki-san,"_ she says his name and walks towards the spot he is laying on. A medic is trying to help him, but he pushes them aside and sits up with his own strength. Tsunade looks down at him with a frown.

He looks normal on the outside. No injuries whatsoever anywhere on his person, not even a scratch. It strikes the Hokage as odd, because the girl certainly couldn't have gotten out of those binds and attacked him just like that. Also, she had been checked throughout the day since she was brought in here and she had carried no such thing as a sleeping gas. Though, that is exactly what Tsunade thinks has happened. Every fallen shinobi in here looks tired. Like they just woke up from pleasant dreams.

 _There is no way._ She pushes the thought away. Sleeping gas doesn't have these kinds of effects on people. She can tell, when someone yawns quite loudly and blushes from showing such an act in front of superiors. _They have been asleep, but why? Was it some kind of jutsu? But that woman barely had any chakra..._

 _"Hokage-sama, I apologize for this,"_ Ibiki says and interrupts his leader's thoughts once again. He stands up and brushes the dust off of his dark cloak. _"I have no idea how, but that woman is responsible for this."_

 _"That much is pretty obvious,"_ Tsunade states bluntly and crosses her arms. Her intimidating brown eyes don't make the scar faced man flinch. _"What I want to know how on earth could you be so careless. You didn't loosen those chakra binding ropes, did you?"_

 _"No, ma'am,"_ the taller male says and shakes his head. _"We must alert every shinobi in the village, immediately."_

Tsunade's frown deepens. Does he think that she wasn't ready to do that before he said it?

 _"The ANBU has already been send for an investigation. Now, tell me all about what happened."_

 _"Yes, ma'am. We were in the middle of questioning her, when she screamed loudly using that strange gibberish of hers. One of my men holding her down dislocated her left shoulder and she broke down in hysterical crying and screaming after that. However, when some time passed, she started mumbling something strange under her breath. It could have been a jutsu, but she didn't use any hand signs. Then everything got stranger, when we were surrounded something that looked like a mist."_

Brown eyes get sharper and spark. _"A mist? Did it resemble any kind of jutsu from the Land of Water?"_

Ibiki frowns and closes his eyes. _"I am not sure. In the past, I have fought with many Mist shinobi, but all of them used hand signs and there were signs of using chakra. And also, casting a jutsu to create mist doesn't take long and the woman used at least one minute to finish mumbling. Not only that, but I have not heard about a jutsu that can cause mist and make people lose consciousness."_

Her lips twitch a fraction. _You mean to fall asleep. Just admit it._

 _"And you still believe she is the cause for all of this?"_

 _"I am."_

 _"Then she is and that makes her very dangerous. To get past someone like you should be considered impressive, but in this case, it is dangerous,"_ Tsunade finishes and turns her back to him, before walking out heels clicking harshly against the ground.

She stops, when reaching the outside where two masked ANBUs are waiting for her. They both straighten up after her appearance and as she walks past them. The highly skilled shinobi can tell that their Hokage isn't pleased and choose to stay as still and silent as possible.

 _"Send every shinobi in the village a new notice,"_ Tsunade starts and stops to look at her village. She is clenching her fists again. _"The woman who has been held in the Intelligence Division is considered a threat. Everyone is advised to approach with caution and be ready to capture her and the cat. Inform about her appearance as well and that her left shoulder is injured."_

The ANBU doesn't have to be dismissed, because they are gone as soon as Tsunade is finished with the quick order. She is left standing there in the wind and closes her eyes with a sigh.

 _I need a drink._


	5. Chapter 4: Stranger's green orbs

_Chapter 4_

 _Stranger's green orbs_

* * *

Every nerve on Parsley's body is on a high alert and the adrenaline pumping in her veins makes the body heat rise considerably. She has not felt like this since the sport days in school. She had been put on a tracking team, for some weird reason, and it had been absolutely humiliating. She had not been fast, nor is she now any better, but Parsley had given her all to it and almost collapsed before the finishing line. Though, now she is running for her life.

If Sphynx could be awake, there is no doubt he would complain how sweaty her hand is. Not only that, the young woman feels like her back is soaked with sweat. She has never gotten this exhausted so quickly before. Not to mention her vision starts to suddenly sway and she can barely keep up with the fairy who is already flying few feet away. The little thing has been merely sending nasty looks over her shoulder the whole time they have been trying to run away from the building, which is quite massive. The cold blue eyes either find the human disgusting and want to make sure it stays away, or they want the woman to hurry up.

Honestly, Parsley is starting to get a little annoyed underneath her fear and tiredness. It's barely there, but definitely growing. _What is her problem? I understand that we are different in many ways, but there is no need to act like a racist._

Suddenly, the caramel colored little fairy makes a sharp turn and the young woman follows, only to have her world spinning and bumping against a corner of a wall. She lets out a scream and falls down to her knees with pain shooting throughout her left shoulder. Tears finally stream down again and a panic of her limb getting worse takes over. Parsley can't take another step.

The fairy must have heard her, because she comes back and peeks from behind a corner. "Hey, what's taking so lo- Hm? What is wrong with you now?"

"M-my shoulder... it hurts..." Parsley gasps out and her face twitches in pain.

"Well, nothing can be done about it. Let's go already," the small creature says, but doesn't move.

Finding the flapping of the wings still near, hazel eyes lift themselves up to see the fairy staring down at them coldly. The words on her tongue die out and Parsley straightens up, still crying though. _I shouldn't have expected an offer of help. How stupid of me._

The surprise is that Sphynx hasn't yet woken up from the wobbly ride he is receiving. It is worrisome and some of his blood has already stained Parsley's shirt. She can't stop worrying about it, whenever she glances at it, but she can't stop focusing on getting away from the prison she prefers to call hell. At some points, they have gotten closer to other presences in this place and those times have send her heartbeat skyrocketing. It's a blessing to have someone as small as a fairy making way for her.

However, they have been walking through different kinds of halls for hours by now and there isn't even a sign of a window anywhere. It's almost as if the magical creature is leading Parsley even deeper into this place. She feels suffocated just by thinking about it being a possibility. She doesn't want to return back into that dark room with the uncomfortable chair and a table filled with stabbing holes. Much less face the scar faced man and the blond woman. The latter did not damage her as much, but left equal, frightening marks into her.

 _What had that man done to me, anyway?_ The pain Parsley felt the time he was questioning her felt now like it had never happened in the first place. It was so strange. She clearly remembers chains and... they may have even choked her. _Not may, they had._ Now that she thought about it, Parsley doesn't still understand what had happened in that other room. Where she was surrounded by cold, bounding stone and then the man had touched her head. _It was like something was trying to break through my skull. What had they done anyway?_

All of sudden there are small hands against Parsley's face, pushing her back. "Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop! I said stop!"

The woman backs away, knowing better than to get irritated or say anything back. In fact, she presses her back against a wall meekly and unconsciously holds Sphynx even closer. This isn't the first time the fairy has stopped them, after all.

There are footsteps coming from nearby. They are faint and only become clear in the tense silence, but to Parsley's ears they are loud and sharp sounds of doom. Her muscles are tensing up with every breath and she bites down on her lower lip, when she accidentally tries moving her left shoulder. The pain and approaching danger are making new tears form in her already watery eyes. The rising tension does nothing to ease her discomforts.

The tension keeps on rising the close the footsteps get. Even the icy eyed fairy looks tad bit nervous but doesn't try to hide at all. She floats above the ground, not even trying to make her wings stop the sound of their flapping. Her back is the to human woman, but Parsley can already imagine how the sharp gaze doesn't waver from the hallways ahead. In fact, despite feeling uneasy, she has put her trust on that the small creature knows what she is doing.

Slowly, Parsley looks down and sees her legs trembling. The knees buckle against one another and she can barely keep herself up. It is the same as when she was running, but the trembling gets worse now that she is trying to hide. Though, it's not the only thing which is growing more obvious. The mix of her frantic heartbeat and heavily working lungs is making the dizziness double and faint black spots start to take over her vision.

Fear of collapsing comes instantly, and Parsley does something stupid. She tries to move her shoulder.

"Hm!" The sounds she lets out is muffled by her tightly sealed lips. She is biting down on the lower lip as hard as she can and successfully stays otherwise silent.

"Shhhhh! I told you to be quiet!" The fairy doesn't even try hiding her voice and the human woman feels her own face growing pale. If she keeps on using her voice like this, then they will surely be found!

However, the faint sound of the footsteps soon fades and leaves hazel eyes blink the tears away in relief. _They are gone now, right?_ To make sure it is true, Parsley looks at the fairy who lets out a soft sigh.

"It seemed like they were in a too much rush..." she mutters and trails off, before remembering who is with her and whirls around. The softness of her voice has vanished instantly. "Listen up, human-"

"Parsley."

"I didn't ask for your name! Now stop interrupting!" The pale skin turns into crimson around the face area. "I may be wrong - which I am not -, but it seems like your twos' escape might have been notice already."

Coldness settles into the pit of Parsley's stomach. "...What makes you say that?"

The fairy stares at her for a while and then groans, rolling her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? They passed by in a rush. Every time they do so, something has clearly happened."

 _How am I supposed to figure things out so easily in this kind of situation?_ The human almost frowns, but then tries to bury the uncertain and unpleasant emotions to the side. She doesn't have time or privilege to worry or think about these sorts of things.

"Anyway, we should hurry up, before they will start searching around here."

Neither of the two exchange any more words and the two females and a cat are on the move again. Now, only one pair of feet and wings are making any sort of sound in the empty hallways. It is almost like there are no other people in the building anymore and the thought unsettles Parsley. Of course, she is happy there isn't anyone here to capture her and Sphynx again, but she can't understand why everything has gone so smoothly. When those masked people had appeared out of nowhere in the forest, it had happened in a blink of an eye.

Parsley's eyes water again, but she can't use her hands to wipe them away. Her freedom is even more unbelievable and so crazy that she can't even truly believe it has occurred. There are clear red lines around her wrists and she can even imagine those harsh ropes around them again. In here, while running clumsily through the hallway, she doesn't want to recall any of this.

Another wave of dizziness hits Parsley and she has no choice, but to stop and catch her breath. _This is bad. I can't run like this anymore. I haven't eaten anything. I am so hungry and tired._

"Hey! Why are you slowing us down?! Get moving already! I don't to keep on showing you the way forever!"

"The- the feeling is mutual," Parsley mutters weakly under breath and tries to move her legs while being careful not to squeeze Sphynx too much. "I d-don't feel so good."

"You don't look like it either," the fairy states rather bluntly and she probably doesn't mean it by Parsley's health.

 _A-as if I will let her boss me around from this!_ Gritting her teeth together, Parsley starts to move, occasionally moving her shoulder and fighting against the whimpers of pain. She tries to imagine it is like pinching herself to stay awake, but it helps only a little. The pain she experiences hasn't lessened, but Parsley feels how numbness is starting to spread around her shoulder.

If only Sphynx could wake up already, then this all would probably be much easier. He could make his friend's spirit jump up and keep her from sinking into despair.

The fairy doesn't luckily give a comment on Parsley's sudden change in attitude and simply leads her forward. Though, she doesn't also slow down and the human woman behind her struggles to keep the small fairy in her sight. It's like the creature has no such thing as sympathy towards her or the familiar's situation.

They have to walk at least a while, before reaching stairs in a narrow hallway. It's pretty dark and almost no light reaches its end, but if you squint your eyes a little you can see the dark steel door ahead. Parsley shivers from how wet and moistures has turned. The pitter patter sound of her feet seem to echo in the stone walls of the smaller space and she glances over her shoulder in fear someone might have heard them. When nobody comes, she hesitantly continues taking steps forward.

Over the course of time being imprisoned in a pitch-black room, Parsley has grown weary of the dark. Not like she liked it before, but now she visibly can flinch from simply losing a little light. It is strange, and she almost takes a step back, but despite this her legs move forward stiffly.

When the fairy starts talking again, it somewhat manages to soothe her nerves a little. "This door will lead directly outside of this place. It hasn't been used for a while in human years, so I doubt this will be one of the first places they will be looking you from."

Parsley blinks slowly and realizes something. _Human years. That is right. She is older than she looks. Fairies are supposed to be like that._

Her thoughts are cut off, when the magical creature continues. "That said, it would be wise of you to flee away from this human village as soon as possible."

"...Village? Y-you mean," the human starts speaking, voice shaking. "There a-are others out there?"

This is bad, is what Parsley starts screaming over and over inside of her head. When she had escaped from that room and left those horrible people behind, it should have been all that it took for her to gain the freedom. However, what would happen, if she goes out of this building? There is no way she can go through it without being noticed. Surely this organization has it eyes everywhere.

 _They will throw me back into the room._

Parsley swallows the heavy lump in her throat and doesn't really bother to stand up anymore. She slowly lowers herself to the ground and tries to gather her thoughts.

 _They will beat me up again._

How can she get out of this anymore? She has been able to come this far with Sphynx because a fairy decided to lend a hand for some strange reason. But surely Parsley will be shown no mercy after this kind of escape attempt. She will be suspected more from making those men fall asleep and then managing to break the binds and take the cat out of the cage. Not to mention how suspicious it must seem that she hasn't been found yet.

Suddenly, Parsley feels a small, but sharp sensation on her cheeks and her vision focuses on what is happening before her. The fairy has come closer and small blue orbs look frighteningly sharp and angry. The tiny hands are on the both side of Parsley's face and she realizes the fairy must have been slapping her.

"Don't go spacing out! You must go!"

 _She makes it sound so easy._

"But what if I will get captured again?"

"You won't! This door is very far away from the village and I will take you to the old hag! Now, get up!" The small hands yank the amber brown strands roughly.

Parsley winces. Despite her being quite small, the fairy sure has a strong grip. It is like being pulled by a vigorous child. A little irritated from both the hair pulling and stressed from the escape, Parsley grunts and pulls her head back to escape the small grip. "Old hag? Who is that? A fairy?"

The small porcelain face forms a deep scowl with disbelief. "Bah! Do you take me as a fool? I would never burden my kin with a human and a cat! The old hag is a human, so she will know what to do with you."

The blood in Parsley's veins stop. "Like me? Won't she tell the people in here where I am?"

"Oh, trust me on this," the fairy says with dangerously soft voice. Her face is hidden by caramel locks.

"She will not."

The metal door creaks open and Parsley almost falls down to her side from surprise. Cold sweat goes down her back, until she sees the fairy slip easily out. The air bursts in, like the metal door has been holding it back for decades. The chilly air is much fresher than in the hallway and surrounds the woman on the ground like fresh water after being so long in the dark. She can feel tears burning in the corners of her hazel eyes.

Breathing picks up along with the heartbeat and Parsley quickly stands up. Some of her hair slips down in front of her eyes from the movement, but she pays no mind to it and quickly steps out of the narrow hallway, relishing the feeling of grass filled ground beneath her feet. It feels so much softer than the stone floors. _This is real._ Hazel eyes wander between the trees and then shoot up towards the sky. _I am not dreaming, right?_ There are no clouds covering the twinkling stars or the pale round moon that looks so much bigger than what Parsley remembers. It is alluring and she forgets how to breathe. The feeling of goosebumps spreading across the skin from the colder air is making her beyond happy. _It's real._

This time, the moon is reflected in the hazel eyes which water and overflow with tears. Parsley almost drops Sphynx, but slowly leans her face closer to his back and carefully buries her face into the soft fur. She can feel how some of the dry blood has roughened the texture, but otherwise is calm about it. Maybe back in the dark room and those long hallways Parsley would have burst out crying from disgust and horror, but the tears she is crying are purely out of relief.

The wind moves the long brown hair and makes the woman hold in a loud sob. Her heart feels like it can burst out of her chest.

For once, the fairy doesn't comment on stopping all of sudden. She is near, because the silent tapping of her wings moves clearly in the air. The magical creature lets the human cry all of her relief and happiness out, before they both start to walk towards the direction where the forest grows thicker and darker.

* * *

After what feels like an eternity, the prison where the woman and her cat had been held in, is far enough. However, so is Parsley's will to keep on walking without having an urge to simply lay down.

"Can I... ask you something?" Parsley dares to speak. Her voice is surprisingly steady, but she is feeling anything but. She has already taken five brakes and even now struggles not to fall down.

"What is it now? For the love of light, all of you humans do is bother my kin," the fairy grumbles and looks over her shoulder at Parsley. "Well? What is it? Say something already!"

 _I would, if you shut it and let me,_ the human almost spits her inner thoughts out, but holds her tongue between her teeth. She looks around for a moment, taking in the sight of the forest in its full glory. The branches above her head seem like they have formed an almost solid roof and only very small amount of the moonlight reaches the ground. The grass glows between colors of green and hue of light blue. And that is exactly what is making the young woman feel nervous and uneasy.

She can't exactly explain what the emotions going through her are. Parsley feels down and tired, but it is like something else is mixing in with those. The air reminds her of the time in the forest, when those tree spirits had attacked her and Sphynx.

"Are there... others in this forest... besides us?" She asks quietly, not sure if her words come out correctly.

"Of course, there are."

Parsley feels the cold chill in the air and Sphynx's body heath gives only little bit of warmth for her.

"Though, I don't suppose you have the ability to sense them. You and those with your blood have long ago forgotten how to connect with us," the fairy says, but her voice isn't loud or pitch-like like before. "But if you can really see me, then I guess you are not a lost case... Why are you slowing down again?!"

The fairy seems to have turned around and sees Parsley's hunched form. The woman can barely stand anymore, and she raises her head with a desperate look on her sweaty face. "H-how... long... do we have... t-to walk?"

"Until we will reach the stinky old hag's cottage, so get your arse moving!"

"I-I can't... walk," Parsley pants. She has been wondering this for a while, but her face feels unnaturally hot and her legs are like jelly.

The fairy lets out a growl, flies closer and tugs on the long brown hair. "Of course, you can! Her place is just around here!"

 _It's no use. I am too tired of this constant walking._ The cool wind feels refreshing against her face and Parsley closes her heavy eyes. They weight so much she can't almost open them again. And when Parsley does, she nearly falls flat down to her face from a surprisingly strong tug on her hair. The fairy doesn't let go though and continues, ignoring the human's small cries of protest. The hazel eyed woman is starting to feel like her brown locks are really being pulled off of her skull. She has no strength to raise her voice and tell the fairy to stop, though.

"I- I really... ca..." Parsley starts, but her words become sluggish.

"Hey! Don't go falling asleep while I am talking! Open your eyes, human! You're going to-"

The last thing Parsley feels is dull pain on her side and how her hold on Sphynx loosens.

* * *

"What were ya thinking by bringing this woman here!?"

The loud yelling hurts Sphynx's ears harshly enough for him to snap his golden eyes wide open. His whole body on high alert, the cat lifts his head and then the rest of his body. If he was a human, he wouldn't be able to see through the dark and when he further sharpens his vision the first thing that catches his attention is that this isn't the room where he and Parsley had been in before. There is no stench of blood in the walls, it is replaced with prickling scent of wood and plants. It is a puzzling combination and the cat feels lost. This can't be the same place he had been in, because there are no restrains nor cages around him.

The soft fabric under his paws makes the feline feel like he is sinking into it. He has spend so much time on hard surfaces that he almost forgot what the softness felt like. Unconsciously, he almost starts to purr, but then realizes what else is missing.

 _Parsley!_

"Do ya understand what this can cause!? This human woman will run back to **those** people and reveal my existence! What in the world possessed ya tiny head to do this!? Dumb fairy!"

Sphynx bolts without hesitation towards the direction where the yelling comes from. There is light coming from behind a door and he fears for a moment it is made out of iron and is locked. However, to his surprise it is made out of wood and it isn't locked. In fact, it is open and Sphynx looks out of it carefully to see a very shocking, flabbergasting and strange sight.

An old woman is standing in the middle of a room, that is decorated with plants, brightly colored fabrics and shelves full of books and strange objects. Long grayish hair is pulled half-way up into a bun and the rest is casted down her shoulders like the dark brown tunic the elderly female is wearing. It is the color of rich brown earth and green yellow lines line the sleeves and the hem which almost brushes against wooden planks of the floor. Golden eyes trail up towards the pale wrinkly hand coming out of the long sleeves and holding a wooden staff in an iron grip and then trail up to its owner's face. Sphynx can only see her side profile, but it is plain to see the woman is very old from the deep frown increasing the frown lines.

However, what is more surprising is that the woman is glaring at a small fairy flying just inches away from her sharp nose. They both look angrily at each other. Though, it could also be more than it seems. Because even the human elder is speaking in English.

"Why are you blaming me on this, old hag!? Aren't you human as well!? Then help this one!"

"Silence!" The old woman raises her staff and taps the fairy's small head with its end sharply.

"Ouch! Stop hitting me with that dirty stick!"

"Well you should-" the old woman starts to raise her voice again but stops. She stays still for a while, before straightening up and whirling her eyes towards Sphynx. "Ya cat, stop simply standing there."

"Huh!?" Now even the fairy has her eyes on Sphynx. She looks shocked. "You are awake already!? You should have said something!"

"He wouldn't have because of ya ear scratching noise that ya call voice," the old woman mutters, but not quietly enough. Ignoring the screech of anger she is receiving from the small being the old woman limps towards an old looking couch.

Sphynx stays tense, so tense actually that he forgets how to breathe for a second. Every sense in his body tingles, as his eyes follow the human woman's movements. She doesn't pay attention to him, though. Like she could care less about his existence and that he could easily scratch her eyes off. The fairy also doesn't give the cat even a glance, when she flies towards the couch herself and stays hovering above it.

The fairy isn't the only unnatural thing around here. The feline can smell the magic in the air.

 _Where am I? Where is Parsley?_ The cat tries to find someone else in the room, something which could show him that this is a trap, an illusion. This all could be just a dream made by his brain from not being able to handle the pain. He passed out from all of those shocks so...

He quickly tries to move every part of his body and realizes something astonishing. His wound is gone along with any kind of ache his body had had before.

"Fur breath, what are ya called?" The old woman asks and turns her eyes towards him. When he doesn't answer, a nasty grin spreads on her dry lips, showing the rows of yellowing teeth. "What? Cat got ya tongue?"

The fairy from the time in the cell pops into Sphynx's head and his fur stands up with his tail. He can't help it, though. Seething irritation just makes him want to let out a loud growl and claw the old woman. These kinds of jokes are growing to be very old.

"My, my. It still has some bite left in it," the woman chuckles under her breath and then looks down at the couch. "Don't ya want to see how ya friend is doing?"

Sphynx's small heart nearly jumps out of the furry chest and he runs to where the old woman is. When he stops next to the couch, he can see a person laying on it. Naturally, it is Parsley. Her long locks of wavy hair framing her sweat covered, bruised face and a small frown marring the area between her thick eyebrows. She has a fever, it is very obvious. The cat jumps next to his friend and nuzzles her face with the tip of his cold nose. Compared to it, her skin feels like it is on fire.

Parsley's frown deepens, and she groans for a moment, before her face relaxes an inch. She must be sleeping quite heavily, and it doesn't look pleasant. The fever is making it harder to have calmer dreams.

"She will be fine," the old woman says without any sign of concern like the cat has. "She has been without food for a long time, not to mention all those bruises on her. This is only her body's natural reaction after it realized the biggest danger is over. However, after she recovers, I want the two of ya out of my house. _Understand?"_

Sphynx looks at her sharply. The last word sounded like it had been spoken by the same language that those torturers had used. "...I thank you for saving her and me, but I must ask you this: Are you a magician?"

Something flashes in the old human's eyes and she raises one white eyebrow. A smirk, nasty one, spreads across her face once again. "What makes you ask that?"

"Because I can smell magic all over this house. Some traces are on me and my friend as well."

A silence follows after the statement from the feline. Even the fairy, who has been quiet the whole time, stops flying and lands on the couch and hugs her knees close to her chest. The blue eyes look keenly on the exchange between the cat and the old woman, almost twinkling with silent amusement. Sphynx can see she enjoys this situation from the corner of his eyes and resist on urge to growl at her. He doesn't like how close she is coming to Parsley, not after his last encounter with fairies.

Speaking of his friend, Sphynx can't comprehend how the two of them ended up in here. He must have slept past something important and knows now that this isn't a dream. However, he got a slight suspicion that Parsley had something to do with this. The paleness of her skin and slight blueness of the lips are clear signs of exhaustion from losing too much magical energy. _She used it to get us out, perhaps?_

Leaning closer, he gives her warm cheek a light lick. She doesn't react in the slightest, though. _You did well but lower your recklessness to some decent level._ Although, Sphynx has never imagined her to be like this. In fact, Parsley continuing crying and begging for mercy would fit her better rather than taking the situation into her own hands. _You must have been scared. I am sorry._

"Gah!" The old woman's voice gathers the attention and she rolls her shoulders, earning few pops. "Too much work today. I am going to take a nap. If the lass wakes up, knock her unconscious. I want to have a talk with her before she runs off to alert those villagers."

"She won't do such a thing," the cat speaks up with clear anger in his tone. He can't believe what he is hearing. "Those **people** tortured both of us for not knowing how to speak their language. They never got it through their skulls we can't even understand them."

This seems to pique the old woman's interest and she leans closer to Sphynx whose fur starts to stand up again from the close proximity. "Really? So, you are not the only one who knows how to speak the Old Tongue?"

"English. Where we come from, it's called English," Sphynx corrects and scoots closer to his sleeping friend.

This time, the old woman freezes. Her lower lip falls, almost trembling. There is no arrogance or nastiness on her face anymore, but shock and disbelief. The tight and firm grip on her staff is replaced by a shaky hold that almost makes the wooden object slip away and fall down. Now, the human elder looks like she has seen a ghost, a vengeful one. The dark furred cat's face is so close to hers that his face is reflected in her dark green eyes.

Sphynx definitely looks threatening, but his puffed up fur and tail don't seem to have any effect on this woman. He feels like a cornered mouse, which is not the kind of feeling he finds pleasing.

"What... did ya just say?"

* * *

Parsley feels warm and comfortable. It is such a welcoming sensation that she doesn't bother opening her eyes right away. The scent of the slightly rough blanket reminds her of the one back in her grandmother's old house. It has almost the same scent to it as well. Wood and tealeaves, which makes her almost smile from nostalgic. Not only that, but a tears of relief form behind her eyelids. Her shoulder doesn't hurt anymore, and the throbbing of the bruises is gone completely.

 _It was only a nightmare._ Parsley lets out a loud yawn, something she hadn't done in what felt like a long period of time. The warmth of the room is welcoming, and she starts to rub her eyes tiredly. _Sphynx is not going to believe it, when I will tell him._

The young woman lets out a small giggle and throws her legs over the side slowly. She is feeling so my chirpier suddenly. She should get up and start preparing some breakfast. Her stomach is craving for some bacon and eggs along with pancakes. Sphynx will wrinkle his furry nose and complain about how greasy it all will look, of course. Well, he will get some tuna and be silent.

However, when the hazel eyes open and look at the surrounding area, the moment of waking up seems to shift to another dream-like state. She thinks what she sees is not real, because there are no plants in her room.

Long green leaves brush against rich brown, wooden floor. Some red and pinkish flowers bloom here and there among them, but they are not the only things which are unfamiliar to Parsley. There is a long mirror covering almost the whole opposite wall and she can see her own startled expression from it. Below the reflective object is a long drawer with lighter wood serving as handles. On top of it, few white candles are burning with little flames and bringing up small smoke lines.

Hazel eyes blink, once, twice and then a strange choking sound leaves from half-open mouth. Parsley scrambles up and looks around in panic.

"No, no, no, no. This is still just a dream," she mutters under her breath and then slaps her cheek few times. There is stinging pain, but she still sees this strange room. Next, Parsley tries pinching herself and when that also doesn't work she starts looking around again.

A very tall closet stands on the right. It has beautiful carvings of birds flying in the middle of it and two bears walking below. Shapes of trees can also be seen from it and above there is a single round sun shining its rays down at the animals. Then, the bed Parsley had been laying on was large enough for a one person, but it also looks somewhat old and thin from the build. As for the blanket she had been cuddling with, it is a simple, dark green colored one and looks as soft as it is.

Feeling even more like a confused animal, Parsley glances down at herself and the breath hitches in her throat. They are the same ones she had been wearing before and the shirt even has a little stain from her vomit and Sphynx's blood to prove it.

The young woman staggers back and sinks down to the floor. Her expression blank from the impact of shock and horror. _It wasn't a dream. I was… imprisoned._ She starts feeling like the air isn't arriving into her lungs properly anymore and takes some support from the floor. Its texture is not exactly smooth, but the roughness and patterns help the wild thoughts to concentrate on something.

 _Okay, deep breaths._ Parsley tries to do like her minds tells her, but all she can get in are short inhales. _You were escaping, right? This place must be good- But what if I got kidnapped again and this nice appearance is simply a trap? That's it! You're being deceived Parsley. You have to run!_

The long-haired woman stands up, somewhat shakily, and makes her way towards the door. It's also made from the same wood as the drawer and closet, but there is a single bundle of coniferous trees' needles hanging from the middle with a brown string.

Her hand is just about to reach out to the knob, but then she jerks it back form a strange wave of dizziness that hits her. For the second time, Parsley staggers back and falls to the ground.

"W-what?" She can't stop the word from slipping out and quickly stands up again.

There is a sound of rustling from the bed and soon a familiar voice yawns out: "There is a charm on the door. You can't get out just like that."

Parsley's eyes widen, and she turns around fully to see a dark head peeking out from under the blanket. "Sphynx!"

The cat doesn't open his eyes and yawns again. "Yes, yes. It is me. Now be quiet. I'm trying to sleep."

Ignoring his tone and too relaxed behavior, the human woman scoops him up quickly. "Are you alright? How is your wound?"

"Gone," he says simply, sounding a little displeased to be picket up.

Parsley is looking at the cat all over in panic. Also worrying, if she accidentally made some of the injuries worse, but to her disbelief he doesn't really have any on him. The wound, which had been bleeding the last time she saw it, isn't there. In fact, Sphynx looks like he hadn't gone through a hell anymore, though his fur still seems a bit dirty.

This is the same thing with Parsley. She noticed that her injuries were gone before, but if this isn't really a dream, then how on earth is it possible? There is no way she could have imagined all that blood.

"H-how?" Is what comes out of her mouth, but then her lower lip starts trembling. "I-I thought… that you w-were…"

The cat opens one of his eyes and then both of them widen. "H-hey. Why are you crying?"

The second he says it the first tear slips out of the right hazel eye and goes down Parsley's cheek. The cat stiffens in her arms rather clearly and both of his flattened ears shot up in panic.

"I-I thought… That they were g-going to… kill you. I-I was s-so scared, Sphynx. Th-they just kept on h-hurting you and- and- I'm sorry!" Parsley hugs the cat close to her chest and starts bawling with full force. "I am s-so glad you are alright!"

"A-alright," the feline mutters, not really sure what to do. However, after a few second of being held tightly, he stretches his neck and licks away few tears from her cheek. "Don't cry. We are both fine and safe. Just wipe your tears and-"

"There is no way I can calm down!"

The woman's sudden yell made Sphynx jump. She pulls her face away, showing swirl of emotions in her hazel orbs. They are still overflowing with tears, though.

Parsley takes in a deep breath, but her voice doesn't lower one bit. "Those people tortured us the gods know how long! They beat me up like a piece of meat and kept on asking things I clearly won't ever be able to understand! I was so tired and hungry! I barely knew what to think anymore, other than 'When will I die?'! It hurt! It all really hurt! I had bruises the size of Russian all over my body and then one of those people even dislocated my arm! I thought I was never going to see you or mother and father and even my brother again! I was just in some much pain… And then they even hurt you before my eyes. I-I was so frightened to lose you, Sphynx. A-and-"

"Alright, alright! Calm down," Sphynx says and frankly wipes away new tears with his rough tongue.

"I-I can't-"

"Yes, you _can_ ," he puts pressure to his words and then rubs his head against her neck in a calming manner. Sphynx can feel how Parsley's heartbeat is going wild and the anxious air around her is also affecting him. He listens to the frantic drumming behind the ribcage for a while, before lifting his head back up.

Parsley is squeezing her eyes tightly shut, but some tears still come out and drop on top of the cat's face. They are warm and Sphynx almost sighs in desperation. He knows there is no way words can make his owner feel better, so he lets Parsley cry all she wants. If he had known the feelings she had been holding inside more clearly, he would have done something more to get them both out of that prison. Currently, the familiar can't stop the feeling that he failed to accomplish his duty until now. It is his mission to protect Parsley but looking at her snot and tear stained face makes his guilt rise up to its highest peak.

The young woman feels strange holding the living and speaking cat again this freely. She can almost feel those ropes around her again and lands down on her knees. _Don't remember them. You're not there anymore._ Parsley stops caring wherever this strange room is located in. She listens to her friend's words and believes it to be safe enough. For now.

Even if the human wants to say something, the sobs are racking her body and blocking any word that might come to her tongue. She can taste the salty tears on it though and feel how all of her four limbs are trembling from relief and something else entirely. It takes at least a while to truly figure out what Parsley is experiencing, but in the end, she knows that she couldn't be happier than now.

However, like what happens in stories, the serene atmosphere is broken, when the door opens loudly. "What is with all the noise!? I can't sleep with ya bawling like that!" Parsley shrieks without holding back any kind of fright inside. She jumps up, strength suddenly back in her legs. Sphynx on the other hand lets out a short wheeze, when the arms around him become too tight. The green eyes under the heavy wrinkled eyelids flash with irritation and the old woman hits the end of her staff down to the ground. "For the love of the forest, don't scream like that under this roof! Do ya know how bad my hearing is already!?"

Wide hazel eyes blink and Parsley's lower lip falls down. The words flowing out of the stranger's mouth both frighten and shock her. _S-she is speaking English._ The sound of the mother tongue nearly makes the young woman cry again, but she holds them in. Though, maybe the sensation of the air being knocked out of her makes it easier, because Parsley's mind is almost completely blank.

The glare being directed at the frozen female doesn't waver.

"P-parsley," Sphynx manages to grunt out from under the pressure against his lungs. "She h-helped us... Now... please stop choking me!"

Startled even more, Parsley looks down at her cat and immediately let's go. It isn't intentional, but her mind is working frantically from both the appearance of the old woman, who still looks angrily at her like she is a bothersome cockroach, and the fact there is a person who can speak English in the room. Fortunately, Sphynx lands on his feet and shoots a disapproving look up at his friend whose whole attention seems to currently be nowhere.

"I-I..." the poor brunette stutters, not really understand what she is supposed to say. Her hazel eyes dart between the wall and the old woman like Ping-Pong balls.

Finally, the oldest person in the room has had enough and looks at the cat. "Is she retarded or something?"

His golden eyes narrow and the claws under the paws flex. "No."

"Hmph! Could have fooled me," she mutters and then places one hand on her hip. "Listen ya brats. If ya want some food, then get your backsides down stairs and don't be so loud anymore."

Parsley watches, shell-shocked, as the old woman turns her back to her and makes her way out of the room. Low mutters follow after and the brown-haired female swears she can hear words 'noisy', 'rude' and 'brats'. Once silence settles back into the room, she falls down to the bed and stares at the door like someone new could appear from behind it at any second.

She doesn't even fully notice, when Sphynx jumps next to her and touches her hand with his small paw. The young woman jumps slightly from the warm sensation against her skin but relaxes after a second. Though, she doesn't look down at the cat and merely keeps staring at the door with wide eyes.

Flicking his tail, Sphynx lets out a low sigh. _Well, that went better than I thought it would._

Meanwhile, Parsley's mind is starting to work again. Focus returns into her pupils and she suddenly stands up for the second time. It had gone past her notice before, but there is a window near the bed and she quickly walks towards it. Before Parsley can even touch the cool glass though, she can see the green forest outside. But unlike the one she saw at night, this one is full of light from the bright sun and its rays reach the green grass on the ground. The sight is so welcoming and warm that Parsley thinks for a moment it is hallucination.

The young woman rubs her eyes and looks out again. The forest is still there and she inhales deeply like it is the most wonderful thing she has ever seen. Parsley runs her fingers through her greasy hair, triple checking her grip on reality and vision, before whirling around and looking at the cat on the bed who is in the middle of grooming himself.

"Sphynx, I think I am dead."

The cat pauses with whatever he is doing and looks at her confusedly. "What makes you say that?"

He watches her start pacing around the room with her arms crossed across the chest like a shield. Hazel eyes blink, she bites down on her lower lip more than four times and some parts of her breathing come out much louder than others. Sphynx sighs again. _She will start babbling, soon._

As if there is some sort of biological clock working inside Parsley's brain, she starts doing it immediately and does not stop pacing. "You know. That would make so much sense, unless I am hallucinating like back during the summer with uncle Jack, when I thought I saw a giant black bear, but it was only because it was too sunny, and I wasn't wearing a hat- But if I died, then that would mean this is the afterlife, right? I- I mean, there is no way that organization could have been real. Who hasn't heard English before around the world, unless they are uncivilized clans from jungles. Plus, I thought I saw a fairy last night and she helped us out. Hahahaha! How crazy is that? I must have hit my head or something or it could have been an aftereffect from using magic... Yeah. That must be it. Anyway, if I died during the time, I was trying to perform the spell on the mountains, then it must have either killed me and sent me to hell or put me under some kind of eternal hallucination or dream."

"Also, I thought my arm might have been dislocated and so on and that you had this large wound, but we are both okay... That doesn't make any sense either. Nor the fact that you are here as well," Parsley says thoughtfully and points at the cat with a frown. "Are you even real? No, scratch that. You will answer that you are, despite the fact you aren't because you are a fraction of my imagination!"

 _THUD!_

"OW!" Parsley's hand touches the sore spot on her skull and she turns around with wide eyes to stare down at the shorter and much older woman. Like last time just few minutes ago, she appears out of thin air and startles the younger female like it is nothing. The wooden staff is being held high above the grey head, before it is slowly lowered down.

Green eyes are sharp, but now that the stranger is closer, Parsley can see hints of blue in them. A cold chill travels down her spine and she can't stop her legs from taking a step back.

The old woman smirks, her rows of yellow teeth look like gold in the light. "Now, now. I am not that scary, am I?"

"Y..." Parsley bites down on her tongue to keep an honest answer from coming out.

The woman's smirk falls, and she points her staff at her with a deep glare. "When I say ya must come down to eat, ya will do it. I won't be simply sitting around like an old fool downstairs," she says firmly and looks at Sphynx. "And I expected you to have some manners. Hmph! I guess a cat is a cat after all."

Sphynx growls quietly but doesn't give other reaction to her mocking words. Rather, he feels more irritated from her tone.

"Both of you, stop wasting my time and get downstairs already!" Is what the old woman orders and stomps away.

Parsley's heart beats with every step the limping elder takes, and she can't relax any of her muscles. Even every small part of her face is stiff and the hand on top of her head is still there. The pain is undeniably real.

* * *

When Parsley and Sphynx decent down the wooden stairs and are hit by the warm smell of food, the human woman's face looks like a picture. It is frozen, and her hazel eyes keep staring at the ground like it is the most interesting thing in the world. Compared to her, the cat keeps taking each step without any hesitation, but he does send various glances back to his companion. He has noticed her sudden change in behavior, but isn't certain, if it is good or bad. All he can say, that Parsley is very calm, almost blank.

Their footsteps make the planks under their feet creak few times, before they are inside an area which looks like a kitchen. However, Parsley does not take a long look at it and simply sits down in front of the table that has all kinds of food laid on top of its white cloth. It is strange to see warm food, but it is even stranger, because no matter how loudly and painfully her stomach is screaming for Parsley to devour all of it, she can't move her hand and grab a piece of soft looking bread.

The old woman is sitting by the window, fondling with some kind of dry leaves. They are crushed under her bony fingers swiftly and that is the only sound echoing against the walls.

Parsley inhales, when she realizes she hasn't breathed because of the scrunching sound that takes all of her attention. Realizing this seems to shake her awake a bit and soon she finds herself taking a bite out of an apple. It hasn't been on her mind to eat a fruit for some time. Although, she doesn't complain from the sweet taste and her mouth waters rather quickly. The next thing she grabs is a piece of meat and doesn't even mind her manners.

 _Food. Real food._ The salty meat is heavenly and some drool drips down Parsley's chin. She wipes it away with the back of her hand and then takes a big gulp of water from a small round cup. _Finally!_

"Parsley, slow down. You're going to choke," Sphynx says calmly and sits down on a chair as well. Though, he doesn't even try to taste anything. Despite the fact that there is even some fish right in front of his furry face.

"Nah," the old woman speaks up. "More like she will die from eating too much solid food after starvation."

Whether she was teasing the younger woman or not, the food traveling down Parsley's throat stops and she starts coughing violently. After this, the woman, who has officially become a witch in her book, starts chackling loudly. Seems like Sphynx also has the same opinion on their host and he lets out an angry hiss.

Coughing loudly few more times, the brunette drinks some water and lets out a large sigh of relief. However, she becomes irritated, when the old woman won't stop laughing. _Complains about me making too much noise but laughs like my brother after getting drunk._

The wrinkly hand slaps the knee and the old woman goes back to crushing leaves. "Oh, that was a good laugh. But seriously, lass. It is best if ya eat slowly and drink a lot."

"...Right," Parsley mumbles and nods. She starts eating again, but more calmly.

The scrunching of leaves stops and the wrinkles on an aging face deepen. "Is this how young people usually speak to their elders? Bah! In what kind of direction, the world has gone to?"

Not really sure, if she should answer that, Parsley pauses and looks at Sphynx questioningly. The cat slowly drags his golden orbs to her stuffed face and shakes his head to signal her to forget about it. Nodding softly, the young woman goes back to eating and tries to ignore the other female, whose name she has not heard yet. But nobody seems to be bothered by that. Instead, there is a calm and silent atmosphere all around the kitchen and the dining table.

That must be because the brown-haired woman is too absorbed in her thoughts to dislike any of this. She doesn't have wounds, is not hurting anymore, Sphynx is also well and now they are being fed. Well, more like Parsley is, because the cat still doesn't seem to be interested in touching any of the dishes.

 _He knew what was going on, when I woke up. So, maybe he has already eaten?_ To test this theory, Parsley reaches out for the fish, which seems to be grilled and salted, and takes a huge bite, munching a little louder than before.

Sphynx looks at her with the most deadpan expression and shakes his head before jumping on the table and starting to eat. When he has taken few bites, he looks at the female with the same look. _Are you happy now?_

Smiling, Parsley nods approvingly. _Very._

"The fur ball here told me ya two come from the Windy Mountains' South coasts," the old woman suddenly speaks up again and places her hands down. "Nice place. Though, maybe too many tourists for me."

Parsley isn't looking at her immediately, because her brain slowly processes the words. It isn't until she realizes what the other woman has said, that she whips her own hazel eyes towards her. "Y-you have been there?"

"Of course, I have been there!" Now the green eyes look offended. "I even lived there once, before I had to move away because of my job."

The younger woman's heartbeat raises. "Can you tell me, if we are anywhere close to it? We would really like to go home."

In the middle of her excitement, Parsley manages not to notice how there is a sudden shift in the air. The old woman's wrinkles, once again, deepen from the frown that forms on her face. Simply put, her whole expression shows that she is looking at the younger woman like she has grown a second head. The grey head turns towards the cat after a long moment has passed, but the feline is more absorbed in his food to meet the line of sight of the green eyes. However, it is quite obvious Sphynx is doing this on purpose.

Finally sensing that there is something off about the silence, Parsley looks at her animal familiar. She frowns as well and then sets her fork and knife down. _He looks nervous._ Somehow, the sense of security and warmth vanishes, and Parsley starts to feel uneasy. Her shoulders are stiff, like the cat's, but the only difference between them is that Sphynx looks almost guilty for some reason.

"What is this? Ya haven't told the lass?" The old woman asks incuriously and then opens her mouth wide open like she is having a heart attack. "I can't believe this! I gave ya all the good time to spit the truth to her and this is the result?!" She looks angry and stands up to her full high with the staff forgotten to the side. "Are ya a fool!?"

Despite being yelled at, Sphynx is deadly silent.

"Ya master will soon be spouting out the food she ate, because you didn't have the guts to tell her earlier! How come ya are so spineless!? You damn pussy cat!"

Not liking the tone being used against her friend, Parsley straightens up and picks Sphynx into her arms. Her hazel eyes glare at the old woman. "Stop yelling at him!"

"See! She is so naïve and obvious that she can still even defend ya!" A thin finger points towards the cat accusingly. "Listen lass. Ya had to hear the truth from this useless piece of walking meat! He had to tell ya, that ya two are nowhere near the Windy Mountains or the Magical World!"

"Then, where are we?" Parsley asks calmly, suddenly losing some courage from being yelled at. The images of being hit in the dark room are coming back to her. "What part of the human world are we in?"

The old woman sputters unrecognizable words, eyes wide. "Ya truly are a blind. This isn't even the human world ya know about. This is _another_ world entirely, lass."

"..." Parsley stares at her back with her own wide eyes. Her mind is completely blank, again. She looks down at Sphynx who meets her gaze. Although, Parsley doesn't understand what he is thinking. Since she has been a little girl, Parsley has always known that she can trust Sphynx to tell the truth to her. No matter how harsh it was sometimes or made her feel unpleasant. So, this behavior he is displaying worries her so much that her stomach twists from nervousness. "Sphynx, tell me. What is she talking about?"

"What? My word not good enough for ya?" The old woman's offended tone is ignored.

"Please, Sphynx," Parsley's voice sounds like she is starting to beg. Her hazel eyes don't blink, as her gaze sinks into the cat's. "Tell me."

"...I think you need to calm down first. Your heartbeat is too fast," he says after a while.

"Does it make much difference? She will faint anyway," the greying female mutters and sits down.

The cat's golden eyes narrow and his fur stands up. "Shut up, old hag!"

She barks out a laugh. "Ya think I have not been called worse before?"

Sphynx hisses at her, before looking at Parsley whose frown has deepened. The twisting in her stomach has also gotten worse. The cat almost sighs, because he can still hear and fell how her heartbeat drums against her ribcage. _She will not take this well, definitely._

"It seems that the spell you used transported us into a completely different world, Parsley," he starts, watching her reaction carefully. "You could call it a wormhole, in my opinion. As for how you did it, I am not exactly sure. It could be that after you said few lines from the simple transporting spell, the other one you started chanting might have activated some kind of portal-"

"You sure sound confident in your little theory," the old woman mutters again and ignores the glare she receives from a pair of golden eyes.

"Anyway, it would explain why your condition was so very bad, when you woke up in the forest. You did not only transport yourself here, but I also got mixed up into the spell and it sucked necessary supply of magic from you to get both of us here-"

"Shut up." Sphynx freezes from the tone Parsley uses. Her face is once again stiff, and her arms tighten around him, until they loosen and he is set down on the table. Parsley is shaking and bites down on her tongue. "Just... stop fooling around. Where are we? Who is this woman?"

The said female lets out a laugh. "She is definitely in denial. I told ya she would not be able to handle this."

"Sphynx, we have to go back right now," Parsley says, ignoring the old woman for the second time. "Mama, papa and Orick must be worried sick by now! We can't waste any more time in here. Let's call them. Ma'am, do you have a phone around here?"

The laugher becomes louder. "She definitely doesn't believe a word ya just said! Lass, ya should really listen to this cat!"

Not believing the elderly being in her right mind anymore, Parsley stands up and makes her way out of the kitchen in a hurry. One part of her is telling her to listen to Sphynx more, but the other wants her to run as fast as she can. The hit she took earlier had been more than enough to prove this all to be reality, so Parsley isn't dreaming, maybe. It had somewhat crushed her, because that meant that nightmarish cell and those people dressed in black had been real as well. Just when she felt at peace, something had to crush that feeling. Currently, it was the nonsense Sphynx had spouted.

 _Another world? He must have hit his head too hard._ Parsley's brows knit together in confusion, as her eyes search around for an exit. _The old woman must have given him something weird. I have to get out of here, before she might try it on me as well. Was there something hidden in the food?_ The thought makes the twisting in the stomach become painful. _No. I get out and then think about that._

"Parsley!" Sphynx jumps down from the table and follows after her.

"C'mon. We are leaving," Parsley says and makes a turn to the left from the kitchen. "Where is the exit?"

"Hahahaha!" The old woman's laugher just keeps echoing against the walls. "Ya can try, but I have put up a barrier all around the place. Ya can't get out no matter what."

"What?" The wavy-haired woman stops in her steps and turns back towards the kitchen. "A barrier? Are you... a magician?"

 _That explains why I felt weird, when I tried to open the door!_ Parsley has heard about these kinds of magic tricks. Though, she knows they are more like charms than spells. Her heartbeat rises, and she looks at the old woman from the other side of the room with wide eyes. How on earth did she end up in here with another magician? Talk about a coincidence.

A white eyebrow is raised. "A magician? No way! I am what ya call a mage, lass."

"A mage? Then, are you a criminal?" Parsley regrets saying the words as soon as they leave from her mouth. She takes a step back in fright and almost bumps into Sphynx with her right leg.

"A criminal? Why do ya say that?" The old woman asks, not looking like the brunette's sudden hostility has any effect on her. Instead, the small piece stuck under her long fingernails are much more interesting.

"Being a mage is a serious crime," Parsley says and then quickly picks up the cat from the floor, never taking her eyes off of the woman. Her limbs are shaking again, and she has to keep her voice from shaking.

The old woman crushes a leave harshly. "A crime? And who told you that? Those people from the government or your teachers?"

"It's a common knowledge among the magicians," the younger woman answers. Her arms tighten around the cat who looks uneasily between the two females. "And I will not be staying in here with someone like that! Let us out of here!"

"..."

Green eyes turn towards the hazel ones that waver from the sharp look. Parsley feels she should have made a run for it and not turn back to find out who this old woman is. This place must be worse than that dark room and with those people beating her up like a punching bag. Parsley hadn't meant to raise her voice like she had. It must have been the sheer will of panic that made her snap. _This is bad. I have to make a run from here as well as soon as I can. Why do I have to get into these kind of-_

"Listen here ya brat," the rough voice cuts through Parsley's mind with a tight tone. "Ya can call me whatever ya like. I could not give a damn what or who ya think I am. If it wasn't for ya being from the Magical World, I would have kicked ya and the cat out of here the very second ya woke up. And let this old hag tell ya something: There is no way ya can survive out there."

The old woman gestures out of the window with her staff, not taking her eyes off of Parsley who is as stiff as a rock. "The things ya went through are nothing compared to the hell that awaits, if ya get found by those people who harmed ya. Honestly, I am surprised ya have made it this far. But it has all been because of luck!"

This time, the young woman does stumble back and almost falls. Sphynx's fur rises, when the older female rises up from her chair once again and starts limping towards the two of them. Parsley's arms tighten even further, and she bumps against a wall behind her. She is cornered, but the elder woman doesn't approach her anymore and is simply standing on her spot next to the dining table.

"Don't close ya eyes from the reality. Ya can't go anywhere in this place, in this world. No matter how much ya deny it, that is a fact none of us can escape. The **creatures** out there, in human skins, will definitely **kill** ya in the most painful way possible."

 _Chains choking. Blood. Darkness._

 _The dark figures loom over her, striking her down within every minute. Parsley is trembling down on the cold floor and curls up into a ball. It is no use, though._

 _Pain._

She can't breathe. Parsley simply can't draw any air into her lungs anymore. The passageway in her throat closes itself from instinct. She is probably experiencing a flashback, because the light around her dims and painful sensations accompanied by the sound of wood meeting with the skin surround Parsley almost completely.

The young woman hates to admit it, but the mage had been right, when she commented how Parsley couldn't handle any of this after eating. All of the food she had consumed comes out in one second and she falls down to her weak knees.

"Parsley!" Sphynx jumps away from her arms in surprise.

"Gaaah! Ya two will clean that!"

"Shut up already, old witch!"


	6. Chapter 5: No trust

_Chapter 5_

 _No trust_

* * *

Parsley's hair is shadowing her eyes. It isn't like when she first "came into this world" as the old lady had said. It isn't messy yet soft anymore but tangled and covered in dirt and sweat. The few, greasy strands escape from behind her ear and she slowly pushes them back. Her eyes are bloodshot, the white part flushes pink every time she blinks and wipes a tear from the wet eyelashes. She is hungry and wants to go home.

There is an easy option for her to take, though. Just behind the young woman is a cottage like straight from a fairytale. The roof covered in moss and plants, (flowers, herbs, you name it), with a small window peeking out from behind all that mess and four other windows below it, surrounded by wooden planks. It doesn't look like many people could live in it all at once, but the inside is much wider and spacious than what the outside gives as an impression. A well stands few feet away, looking like it has never been used before. But Parsley can imagine herself being plunged into it, when she least expects it.

Despite being fed and given shelter, Parsley doesn't appreciate it. She fears it is only a passing by comfort to lure her into a false sense of security.

A wind passes by and she shivers. It isn't cold, though. In fact, Parsley's hands are sweaty.

"Parsley, I hope you're not thinking what I think you are," the voice drawls from below.

She looks down at her cat with a tight face. "We have to get out."

"Why? This is the safest place we have in this weird place," Sphynx says and licks his paw.

"I…" she starts and looks back towards the cottage carefully. She sees a shadow pass by the window and quickly looks towards the forest again. "Don't feel comfortable around that old woman."

Sphynx snorts. "Neither do I, but she is pretty much the only one we can trust."

"She is a **mage**."

"So?" The cat raises an eyebrow.

Parsley bristles and then hisses as quietly as she can. "So? She is a criminal! A dangerous person!"

Sphynx shakes his head, too tired of this argument with her. The cat will simply let the young woman think the way she does, for now.

The amber brown-haired woman looks towards the forest again and is stunned by how green its leaves are, for a moment. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up from some strange reason and she wraps her arms around herself for comfort.

 _Would I get lost like last time?_ Parsley frowns, something she has been doing a lot lately. When she had been inside the house, she had been frowning a lot, even when she didn't realize doing so. It can't be helped, though. Every time Parsley hears a creak on wood or other sounds, she jumps and whips her eyes all over the room she is in. And despite being so fearful indoors she is less frantic out here where any kind of creature can jump on her and almost no place to hide is nearby.

Inhaling, Parsley takes her first step and then walks confidently towards the first tree line.

Sphynx lets out a huff from behind and follows her few feet behind, but soon catches up. If he senses any sort of danger, at least he can warn his magician in time.

The moment the shadows of the trees touch her face, Parsley feels another shiver running down her spine and bites down on her lip. There are many dead leaves on the ground, but the ones up on branches look young and are greener than the grass. Finding this odd, the hazel eyes look at the dead leaves before their owner crouches down to pick one up. It is real, so they are not fake. The forest starts to remind Parsley of a mix between autumn and spring or summer.

 _Did the old woman put a spell around the house as well?_ The thought makes Parsley's stomach drop.

"Is there a barrier around here as well?" She would rather not repeat the experience with the door.

Sphynx sniffs the air. "I am not sure. There is magic everywhere, so it is hard to tell."

"The witch must have done it," Parsley mutters, but is surprised to hear a low growl from Sphynx. She looks down at him and his face has morphed into a face that resembles a glare. "W-what?"

"Do not call her **that**. She may not leave the best first impressions, but she is not a witch in any way. She is way too honest."

The young woman frowns, but then shakes her head and makes her way deeper into the forest. "Oh. So now you like her, huh?"

The bluish cat lets out a deep sound which is similar to times, when he coughs out fur balls. "Heaven forbid, no. She hits me on the head with that stick of hers, smells like old, sweaty sandals, tells cat jokes and even makes fun of me with those."

"Aaah. So that is where your bitterness comes from," Parsley says with a smile tugging the corners of her lips. She has never expected her familiar to tolerate someone who makes jokes like those. Usually, he loves to growl and hiss at them all the time.

"What is with that expression?" The cat asks, but the only answer he receives is a silent giggle. "At least she hit you on the head, too."

The magician's smile slips away. She unconsciously raises her hand on top of her head and remembers the blow she took yesterday. _Or was it few hours ago?_ When Parsley had rested in her room, she had fallen asleep with the curtains pulled across the window to prevent the sun from interrupting her dreams. However, the sun doesn't look like it has moved at all from its spot around the top of the sky. _I must have slept long._

There is no clear path in the forest. Almost every part of the ground is covered by yellow and brown leaves. At some points there are bright red ones. But the bushes nor the trees give the feeling that the autumn is anywhere near. The air is warm, the sun is shining brightly, and the breezes feel soft and barely cool. It is surely a summer weather, despite the environment not quite agreeing with that.

"Do you even know where we are going?" Sphynx asks after a while.

"…No. But we must simply find," Parsley shrugs. "I don't know. A police station, maybe?"

Sphynx lets out a loud sigh, his ears drooping. "You really shouldn't have left the house."

"Oh, shush," Parsley waves him off.

…

…

…

…

"We might actually get attacked by the tree spirits again."

"Sphynx!" Parsley hisses again and stomps her foot down to the ground like a child. She isn't really showing it, but her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Her hazel eyes look down at her friend with a glare. "Can you… can you just shut it, for a while?"

"Why? Are you getting scared?" He asks teasingly.

Hazel eyes harden even further. "Of course, I am getting scared! Do you honestly see me jumping across flower fields and singing rainbows?"

Sphynx takes a few steps to the side. He also doesn't want to show his feelings, how his companion's mood is affecting him. "Alright, alright. I understand."

Parsley gives him another hard stare, before nodding. "Good."

 _I can't believe he is taking this like a joke. Even if it is, it is a sick one!_ Fuming, Parsley pushes roughly through bushes and crushes the branches on the forest floor. Sweat gathers on her forehead rather quickly and she wipes it away. She can smell it all over herself already. The stench is maddening, and she can't seem to shake off her anxiety with it. _I hope Sphynx can smell this and his nose will fall off._

The two of them continue walking, with the cat keeping his distance from the clearly upset human woman. With few glances Parsley can tell he is being cautious of her. She gets a strange sense of satisfaction from this and her steps turn brisker.

There is no way she can stay inside a house of a mage. The thought makes her skin crawl from fear, its amount is almost the same as with those foreign people. That is why Parsley can't understand her familiar's calm composure. He acts as if the mage is not something that the two of them should fear, despite already showing a certain dislike towards the old lady. He must have been brain damaged from the hits he took or from the electricity attacks. As soon as they find proper civilization, they will contact authorities from magical world and alert them about the mage in the cottage.

 _Another world… Yeah right._

Maybe this is why magicians are always being warned about this kind of people. Not only do they break the law established over five hundred years ago, but they also have made themselves crazy in the head. That is what they get from trying to play with the forces of nature like that. Every magician knows it is more dangerous than using your own magical energy. Parsley can still recall clearly what it felt like to have hers ripped out of her in a second. Excruciating pain.

As if recalling all that, the young woman rubs her arm that has goosebumps covering the skin entirely.

Suddenly, Parsley stops and looks around herself. "Didn't we pass this area already?"

Sphynx looks around himself as well. "What makes you say that?"

"That," she points towards an old tree with a gash running across its surface. Rosin drips down from it, but the substance seems dry and simply sticks to the trunk. "I remember passing this tree by."

"We have passed by many trees, though," Sphynx says matter-of-factly, earning a deadpan look from Parsley. If cats had hands, he would raise them in surrender.

Turning back to the tree, the amber brown-haired woman looks at it critically. She searches through her memories for any sign, which might tell her this is all her imagination. There are many other trees around the area, so Parsley can be mistaken about this one. But when the young woman doesn't come to another conclusion, she lets out a groan.

"We have been walking around in circles," she breathes out, and then falls on to the ground. Her fingers comb through the thick masses of her hair, messing it up even more. Parsley lets out a whimper. "What should we do?"

"Go back to the house?"

Hazel eyes peek under the messy bangs at the cat who stares back with his golden ones. Parsley shows an expression of clear dislike. "Back to that mage's house?"

Sphynx's ear twitches. "Where else?"

The magician looks down at the ground, before burying her face into her arms, again. The pictures of her parents laughing at the dinner table while Orick bites down on his beef flash inside the brain. Their last dinner together from few months back. The eldest son in the house had just turned 29 years and they were all celebrating. They had so much fun while embarrassing him with childhood pictures and laughed together while playing Twister. How Parsley wishes she could go back in time to that day and enjoy herself again. She can still remember the gift she had given together with Sphynx to her brother. A book for how to get girls. The moment Orick had read the tittle he started ruffling his little sister's hair in annoyance and listened her laughing wholeheartedly. The father laughed along while mother scolded her youngest for doing such a thing.

The recall of those moments gives Parsley an easy answer.

"To home."

A heavy silence falls between the two. The cat can feel how his own mood drops and walks to his mistress with ears flat against his head. Sphynx leans himself to Parsley's side and stays there. When he doesn't get pushed away, he starts to purr, and rub his head against her. Unconsciously, the young woman leans slightly closer and lets her shoulders tremble.

 _I want to go home._ Parsley's fingers dig into her arms, it hurts, and she puts more strength into her hands. _But…_

The leaves move in the wind and Sphynx stiffens next to the crying female. She doesn't notice this and lets the tears soak her sleeves. She doesn't even feel a new presence enter, but the cat does, and his fur puffs up.

… _where is home?_

"Hello," a small voice says a bit shyly.

Parsley looks up, startled. Her eyes immediately lock with round, dark ones that blink few times completely calm. It is a young boy, with ink black hair messily on top of his head and clothes covered with forest dirt and leaves. Though, his clothes consider only of a simple, grey shirt with brown pants and his feet are completely bare.

Compared to Parsley, he looks to be in a much better shape.

He gives the woman on the ground a wide smile, showing the rows of white teeth with one front tooth missing. His next words come out more confidently. "Hello. Are you lost?"

"H-huh?" Hazel eyes blink, letting a single tear slid down the cheek. It takes Parsley exactly fifty seconds to process the question and situation, before she stands up quickly and wipes her face. "Y-yes! Do you live around here?"

The boy's smile widens, and he nods his head. "Yes! I am playing!"

Feeling a little bit relieved to see somewhat a normal person who speaks English, Parsley smiles back. She takes an immediate notice of how short the child is and how he reaches only around her middle. Though, this makes him appear even more harmless.

She looks down at Sphynx, but her smile falls from seeing his quiet form. Not only is he deadly still, the black pupils in the middle of his golden eyes become thinner. They look like they have split the eye completely, but the cat shows no signs of puffed tail or ready to growl in displeasure. In fact, he merely seems startled as much as his owner had been a second ago.

A little concerned, the young woman reaches out to brush her hand against his back. "Sphynx?"

"Aaah!" The young boy is suddenly crouching down in front of the feline, who snaps out of it and quickly goes behind Parsley's legs. "A cat! Let's play!"

Realizing in what kind of danger the small boy could be in, the amber brown-haired woman picks up the cat who quickly clings to her shirt with his claws. Wincing a little from feeling the sharpness, she forces a smile. "I-I'm sorry, but he isn't that fond of people."

"Well, that sure is disappointing," the young boy pouts and straightens up, acting like there is a toy he can't have. He looks at Sphynx curiously, though. "What is he called?"

"Sphynx," Parsley says and strokes her familiar's back calmly. However, she winces again, when his hold on her doesn't loosen. She tries to direct the conversation away from him. "And what is your name?"

"Oh," the boy's mouth forms a perfect 'o' shape, as if realizing something. Which is his manners. "My name is Robin! What about you?"

"My name is Parsley. Nice to meet you, Robin," she says, forcing another smile from feeling the claws close to her skin. Despite this, Parsley feels happier to have such a normal conversation. Even if she is only speaking to a child.

The boy grins. "Ha! You have a name of a weed!"

The smile on the woman's lips falls, and a look of annoyance replaces it. A moment of flashback takes Parsley back to her childhood days and she cringes visibly. Back then, some kid had heard her name for the first time and said the exact words Robin just had. The whole class had become curious why he would say that, because none of them had any knowledge of what parsley was. Even the young magician had been confused, but only because she didn't understand what was so amusing in her name.

After that, the children in the class sometimes called her 'weed'. They didn't do it frequently because the teacher became angry. _Bless you, Mr. Macbeth._

Parsley feels another pulse of irritation, when the cat in her arms starts to tremble. He is definitely trying to hold back a snort or even a laugh and his claws start to retreat back. Luckily this boy isn't probably a magician, otherwise Sphynx would no doubt fall down while clutching his furry belly in mirth.

Taking in a deep breath, the hazel-eyed woman forces another smile, but this one is much tighter. " **One** , parsley is not a weed, but an herb. Two-"

"But isn't herb a weed?" Robin tilts his head innocently, unaware of the inner turmoil the woman before him is going through.

Sphynx's trembling gets worse, but he nearly chokes, when the arms around him tighten. It becomes hard for him to breathe and he chooses wisely to stay silent and still. The feline doesn't have to look to know his owner's face is twitching. No doubt she wants to strangle the little boy.

 _Relax. He is just a child, a very_ _ **dumb**_ _one, so you can't hit him. You were raised better than this._

"...can I ask you something?"

"Sure!" Robin beams, once again obvious to the dark aura around her.

Parsley's irritation doesn't lessen, but more hope does gather in her chest. "Where do you live, exactly? I have to get to the nearest place to get help."

"It's here!" The young boy doesn't hesitate to run few steps ahead and point forward. He looks at Parsley over his shoulder with a grin. "Come on! I will show you!"

Heartbeat rising, Parsley goes after him immediately and watches his back from few feet away. If Sphynx has been staying so silent until now, then this little boy must be a normal human. There are no dangers in the forest after all. The old lady must have really tried to scare Parsley to make her give up on the thought of leaving.

" **The** **creatures** **out there, in human skins, will definitely** kill **ya in the most painful way possible."**

The young woman smiles in victory. There is no way that this small child could be something like that. Parsley and her cat will be perfectly fine.

 _I wonder how many days have passed since I left?_ The thoughts of home start to fill her head with each step. She is becoming more eager to get out of this place and even more so to be with her family and friends again. Until now, Parsley doesn't think she has appreciated them as much as she should. Maybe that is why her parents always tell her that they want to spend more time together.

The hazel eyes that have been helpless and almost child-like turn into steel and Parsley locks her eyes with Robin's. He had turned around just as she was about to look at the back of his head. The same grin on his face widens, and makes the young woman return a smaller one.

Even Sphynx starts to relax and closes his eyes while still being carried. His tail flickers to left and right as Parsley strokes his back.

How she is carrying the cat starts to remind her of the time from their escape. He was covered in blood, though. And Parsley's had bene experiencing the worst kind of pain from a dislocated arm. No matter what the reason had been, Parsley can't seem to forget or forgive the person who did it. Now, whenever the thought of those foreign people crosses her mind, she becomes rather irritated, if not a little afraid.

For a moment, the young woman forgets how to breathe properly. Her stomach clenches and relaxes in turn.

Parsley hugs Sphynx closer and he nuzzles his nose against her cheek. _It will be alright._

* * *

 _The whole cave is deadly silent. The air is damp from the water, which has somehow managed to drip down between the cracks in the rock walls. Nobody would want to stay in this kind of place, willingly at least. The moistures scent is not the only one that messes up the sense, but the metallic stench that is both in the air and atmosphere. Though, it is no wonder. Some criminals simply don't mind it on their clothes. The said people stand on the stone fingers, not looking like they are planning to move from there._

 _The sealing ritual is about to begin. The Jinchuuriki, the fifth Kazekage of the Sunagakure, lays between the giant hands of the monster statue and its face. He isn't dead, yet. Though, he looks badly beaten up and is covered in bruises and scratches._

 _Maybe in the past Gaara thought he was powerful enough to withstand any enemy. His sand always protecting him and bending down to his will made that thought grow. In some cases, confidence in once ability is a good thing, but there needs to always be cautiousness. If he were awake now, no doubt he would regret the move he made. He is in this position because of it. His people have been left alone, without guidance or protection of their leader. The other nations would soon learn what has happened and Sunagakure would become their target._

 _The one who brought the host of the beast into the cave glances at it quite proudly. There is no pity, only excitement of a child flashes in his eyes. Deidara had a real blast while toying with him during their fight._

 _As for his partner, Sasori is mostly annoyed from the fact he had and has to wait. Though, the shell of his puppet somehow muffles his unpleased aura. Not only that, but Hiruko's mechanism needs some improvement. He must get to work on it as soon as possible._

 _The chain around the monster's mouth is removed. It falls to the side and one of the static figures starts to talk._

 _The tension doesn't grow, despite the speaker's voice holding deep authority and power._

" _ **This is going to take us three days and three nights. Everyone, be careful with the body..."**_

 _It is a miracle enough that the Jinchuuriki isn't laying on the ground in pieces. Considering who had been fighting with it to begin with._

 _The leader speaks with the members for a moment longer, giving instructions, and answers mostly to the only question from the Kirigakure shinobi. Kisame can't stop the grin from forming on his face, when his partner throws a side comment to it._

 _Though, the short exchange had no humor in it. The whole thing would have sounded dry and chilling to anyone who understands and knows what is happening in these circumstances. But that person would have to be someone who doesn't understand the ways of the world and knows who these people are. A civilian would at least pee their pants and want to flee from the cave immediately._

 _The stone fingers start to glow with green orbs in them. Symbols with meanings are in them and they reflect on the rings each member has._

 _Something snaps in the air, when Pein speaks again._

" _ **Fuuin no Jutsu, Genryuu Kyuufuujin!"**_

 _Blue light erupts from the monster's wide-open mouth and form heads of dragons. They seem to look around for a while, but then all of their attention is on the redhead laying on the ground. They dive towards Gaara's unconscious form and melt together once reaching him._

 _The Kazekage doesn't react, like none of this is actually happening and he doesn't start floating above the ground. The blue light fused from the dragons forms a see-through bubble around him and soon his eyes and mouth open widely. Red light comes out of them and even now Gaara doesn't wake up. He simply stays limp like a ragdoll and starts the first stage of dying._

 _But the red light can't go any further, when there is a much more brilliant flash and the whole cave is blinded by it._

" _Pein_ ," a soft voice calls out from behind him.

The purple, ringed eyes open to see through an opening the city down below all the way to its borders.

The rain falls heavily down. Much more heavily than in any other nation. The tall, grey buildings are all standing, though. And people move across the streets either in haste or near the walls and corners. Recently the number of the assignments the shinobi are receiving has increased, so there are more people out of their houses than usual. They all know the reason for it, so nobody is complaining.

The people are not even complaining about the weather, that doesn't seem to change no matter what. The sun hasn't even touched this land for many, many decades. Though, nobody has never really lived for long to see the sun shines through the clouds. And many think this is all the will of their 'God', the one who should never be questioned.

So, the shinobi and kunoichi in the village may be happy in some way. They get to serve someone they worship.

The 'God' turns his head slightly to look at the woman standing few feet away from him. Their eyes meet, but he doesn't face her completely.

Konan's expression mirrors her companion's. It is blank from any kind of emotion and she merely blinks her amber eyes once. There are some drops of water sliding down the kunoichi's face and her lavender strands cling to her pale face.

" _What do you think we should do?"_

There it is. The question she has been trying to ask for hours, full seven days at least. It is strange course of action on her part. Konan doesn't fear the wielder of the Rinnegan, but she has been able to sense his emotions quite well.

At first, he had been angry. So much so that his long-time friend saw a side of him for a split second that she hasn't seen in years. And she would rather not currently think about it. Even she had felt a cold chill in the air by simply standing next to him. Whatever had driven into this state shoulder never be repeated, again. It would not be safe for anybody, if it were to happen.

For the second time, Pein looks outside and stays silent. Compared to Konan, his face is much blanker. It doesn't seem like it has any form of life in it. Instead, he looks like a walking corpse. Worse than usual, because of how heavy his chakra is starting to feel and the blanker his eyes become. When some lightning flashes from behind the clouds, the light is reflected in them, giving a little bit of life to Pein's expressionless face.

He is not the only in the foul mood, though. **He** also doesn't like how things have gone so far.

" _Is there any new information about the incident?"_ The orange haired man finally asks, his voice monotonous.

Konan walks closer, a little encouraged by hearing it. _"Not yet. Our men are searching around the countries, but it has become especially hard in the Land of Fire and Sand. Their securities have been tightened, since their Kazekage remains in our custody. Gathering intel from the inside through our spies has also proven to be a challenge."_

The further she continues speaking the less pleased Pein becomes. His chakra spikes up and Konan nearly flinches from feeling it. The room has enough air, but it turns suffocating and the lavender-haired woman swallows thickly. After a week, his tension has not lessened. It was a mistake on her part to believe so.

How could it be, that in a single instance, his plans had fallen apart?

" _Has Zetsu returned from his mission?"_ Pein asks.

" _Not yet, but he should soon enough,"_ Konan answers and exhales, when the pressuring chakra shifts.

Zetsu was the only one suited for gathering information unnoticed. Like a shadow, he would move underneath and next to their enemies without them noticing anything. During times like these, having someone like him on their side was somewhat of a victory. Even if a person were to notice the plant-like man, they wouldn't live to tell anyone about the encounter, but simply disappear from the face of the earth. He would have no hesitation whatsoever to take a life in an instance, if it meant getting all the information that was needed.

Well, he is no different from his colleagues in that aspect.

" _What about the rest of the Akatsuki?"_

" _They have recovered their strength and are on the move as well,"_ Konan says calmly, but then seems to hesitate on something. _"Pein, are you al-"_

" _I have also gained my full strength back. You don't have to worry about that,"_ Pein interrupts her nonchalantly and then turns around. He heads towards the door but is stopped.

" _Are we going to continue the extraction of the Ichibi from its Jinchuuriki soon?"_

" _Yes."_

Konan's heels click, as she takes few steps forward. _"What if the same incident occurs again?"_

" _It won't,"_ his answer is plain and simple, but judging by the tone he uses there is no more room for a further argument.

The amber-eyed woman, however, doesn't falter. _"Pein-"_

" _Konan,"_ he says her name like a warning and turns around for the second time. _"_ _ **Enough**_ _."_

Konan holds his gaze without a word and shows no body language which could tell Pein what she is thinking. The rain continues pouring down heavily and lightnings flash, sharpening their silhouettes. The atmosphere is almost like back in the cave, tense and full of moistures scent of water. The bright light from the sky makes it even more similar.

It is strange. Pein and Konan have not clashed like this in… forever. It almost makes both of them think about the past and those happy days with their comrades. Almost. It is uncomfortable for the two, because this is not exactly the time for anyone to feel nostalgic.

Konan holds her tongue, amber eyes shimmering with locked up emotions. While the orange-haired man has no such thing in his own eyes and even his chakra has stopped revealing a thing about him.

They must fulfill their mission, their plans. Nothing else should matter, not even if lives will be lost. Yet, here the kunoichi is trying to delay all of it by allowing worry and fear move her. She realizes this but insists on acting opposite of her nature.

It is shameful behavior from someone who has decided to murder and deceive others. Despite Konan and Pein being long-time partners and friends, the woman has long since stopped stepping over her boundaries. It was and is her decision to do so in the future as well.

As if she has lost all of her will to protest, Konan nods in submission.

Seeing her movement and how the amber eyes turn blank, Pein looks ahead and walks out of the room. He doesn't glance back anymore and closes the door behind him.

Konan looks out to the rain filled village. She can't stop the uneasiness from growing, until she skillfully pushes it aside. Whatever had happened during the Jinchuuriki's beast extraction, it had left an effect on the Akatsuki. She hadn't been there, when it happened and regrets it. The kunoichi doesn't quite grasp what Pein and **he** have been thinking and discussing with each other.

In the hallway, the 'God' of Amegakure is walking down the stairs with a calm pace. His ringed eyes don't waver for a second, nor does he seem to be feeling anything. The only thing going through his mind is his plan for the future. It has to be changed for the whole thing to process forward.

Though, Konan's words do echo in his ears, and he starts to think them more deeply. If the so called 'incident' will occur again, this time, he will be prepared to eliminate the cause.

* * *

The bushes are pushed apart, as Robin skips through with a spring in his steps. Parsley follows using the path he creates, and Sphynx comes lastly after her.

"Is your house far away anymore?" The young woman asks. They haven't been walking for a long time, but she is starting to get impatient.

She can't stop herself from thinking about her family. Every time Parsley tries to imagine something or think of something else, all that fills her head are the images of the people she knows and loves. In some ways it is annoying, because Parsley can't stop the squeezing sensation in her sensation, and at some points it is a good thing. She doesn't forget her purpose for walking and is filled with lots of hope.

Not only that, but the hunger is getting to the young woman. There had been food provided for her by the old mage, but she had refused. Parsley had not felt like eating the food made by a criminal anymore. Though, that had earned her a hit on the head with the wooden staff.

Robin looks at Parsley over his shoulder and shakes his head. "No. We can soon see the house."

"Do you have a police station near it?" Parsley asks hopefully.

"What is a police station?" Robin asks back with a curiosity shining in his bright eyes.

His question hits hard and the amber brown-haired woman stops. The cat bumps against her leg, not expecting the sudden pause.

Not really noticing her furry friend, Parsley smiles a bit shakily. "W-what? Did you just ask wh-what a police station is?" It is paranoia that is getting to her. She can't stop the thoughts that enter her mind in a second. "You have never been in a one?"

"I am not really allowed to go outside that much. My brothers and sisters tell me not to," Robin says easily, his words holding no weight in them. He doesn't seem to be bothered by the fact he has told something so personal to a stranger either and smiles.

Feeling a bit bad and not that suspicious anymore, Parsley walks next to him. "Really? Why is that?"

He shrugs and looks back ahead. "I don't really understand it. They say there are bad people out there who can harm me."

 _Huh. And I thought I am the paranoid one._ Feeling worse, Parsley struggles to say something else. She has never really been in a situation like this one and has no idea how to approach the subject. Frankly, the young woman doesn't know how to deal with children, majorly.

"Bad people, you say?" She starts awkwardly and then looks down at the path. Parsley's own experiences are rising to the surface and her empty stomach churns. She doesn't hesitate to open her mouth to say an opinion. "You should listen to them."

"But why? You aren't from around here and you aren't a bad person."

Robin looks totally confused and starts walking backwards, keeping his eyes on the taller woman. She gives him a simple, small smile and doesn't say anything back. Honestly, Parsley can't sometimes understand how such small children can say such innocent things.

"I may not be a bad person…" she starts hesitantly. "But there are that kind of people around."

"Hmm…" the boy hums, looking thoughtful and deep in his own thoughts. However, he suddenly stops like Parsley had few moments ago and a wide grin spreads on his face. "There it is! That is the house!"

She nearly jumps from his exclamation, heartbeat dangerously fast. Her hazel eyes search all around the forest before her, and they catch a sharp light from a faraway window. Parsley's face is split by a wide smile and she starts to quickly follow Robin who has started walking faster. Sphynx stays closely by his magician and jumps over roots near the earth's surface swiftly.

Parsley's every nerve tingle from nervousness and excitement. She can't believe how lucky she is suddenly. First, she gets away from those foreign people, gets her wounds healed and now being saved by a little boy who by some miracle is speaking the same language. All those nightmarish beatings and torturers start to seem like a faraway memory, as the two humans and a cat approach the house.

Robin stops and faces Parsley and Sphynx with a smile. "Here we are."

Smiling down at him Parsley crouches down to his height. "Thank you so much, Robin. You have helped us so much."

"Meow," Sphynx nudges his nose against her leg. He is ignored for the time being.

The little boy continues smiling and then is suddenly much closer than before. His skinny arms wrap themselves around the older woman who freezes in confusion and from not having expected such a physical contact. Robin's short strands of hair brush against Parsley longer ones for a moment, the two of them remain the way they are, with the child embracing the adult gently.

Sphynx isn't touching his owner anymore, so she is not sure if he jumped away in surprise or stays near to guard her. Either way, he isn't making a sound and Parsley starts to worry he might plan to attack the little human boy.

This feels more than weird, to the woman at least. She probably forgot what an actual human-contact feels like in a such a short time. The arms around her are warm, despite also being small. But they make her stomach drop and for a moment she feels an urge to rip herself away. _N-no. This is a little boy. He doesn't mean any harm. Just breathe._ Usually, Parsley doesn't mind these kinds of things. She hugs her friends, family all the time. And even if Robin isn't any of those, he is still just a small child. But that fact is not enough to soothe her immediately.

For the first time, being close to someone is physically painful for the hazel-eyed magician. She starts to feel lightheaded and realizes later it is because she isn't even trying to breathe. Inhaling quietly, Parsley stays still.

"Poor, little, lost soul," Robin whispers, but doesn't sound like he is saying it directly to her.

 _Ba-thump._

"I hope you can play with me someday."

 _Ba-thump._

The words come in and out of Parsley's ears that are filled with the sound of her very own heartbeat. Her brain processes the information slowly and then a frown mars her face. _W-what is he- Did he just say what I think he did? Is he-_

Hazel eyes stare up at the sky widely and then blink, when there is sharp pain on her leg. Yelping, she must put some distance between herself and the boy to see what causes the stinging sensation next.

"Sphynx!" She cries out and grabs her leg protectively. The jeans have three straight tearing marks on them and little prickles of blood start to form from the open skin. The red stains reach the fabric and it turns into a curious shade between purple and muddy brown. "No! What are you doing!?"

"Meow!" As if angry with her, the cat lets out a loud sound and snarls. He then faces the house further away and gestures towards it with his head, not seeming to care about Robin's presence anymore.

"What now? Look what you did to my jeans!" Parsley complains and hisses under her breath from the stinging pain, but then looks where he wants her to. Eyes somewhat blurry from unshed tears, it takes her a little while to get her vision to focus.

The house looks quite familiar, with its white walls and hay roof. Parsley blinks slowly, and then her face whitens ten shades.

 _That is…_ Her hands fall limply to her side and her lower lip drops down. She starts to shake and gasp for air in shock. _The mage's house!_

"Robin! This has to be a…" she turns her head to address the boy but is met with nothing. He is gone. "Wha- Where?!" Panicking, Parsley starts to whip her head around and tries to see the small boy somewhere around the area. "Robin! Where are you!?"

"It is useless," Sphynx sighs. "He obviously wasn't a human after all."

Parsley faces him and stands up. The spike of irritation from getting scratched makes her glare down at the cat. "What do you mean by that!? He wasn't a human? B-but he looked like one and-"

"Even if he did, the fact he disappeared like he did and led us here proves otherwise," the feline says calmly and then stretches his back lazily. "Oh well. Guess I should have notice it from his scent. He did smell a little bit off, but…"

"But what!? You tell me he was deceiving us the whole time!?" Enraged, the woman starts to pull her hair from its roots. All the emotions of calmness are thrown away and she collapses down to the ground. Her knees get most of the impact on them, but she is too busy to correct her distorted thoughts.

Never before has the magician felt so utterly devastated and betrayed. She is like a cornered animal right now. Helpless and unable to move from her spot. Hazel eyes are turning red from the tears, and Parsley continues staring at the house like it is being haunted. Well, in her opinion it is by a dangerous old woman who will be the end of her. _What if Robin had been her doing?_

Realizing what she had touched and hugged, Parsley covers her mouth in shock. She recalls the warm embrace like it had been a plague and lets out a strangling sound from the deep part of her throat. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up, when she shudders violently. _Had he been a tree spirit? Was I so close to my death?_ Not being able to stand the thought, the first sob comes out loudly from behind her hand.

As dramatic as it probably sounds, the hope is crushed and Parsley's whole world starts to spin. She clutches her twitching face, feeling how uncontrollable shaking starts to make it hard to keep her hands up. The greasy strands tangle with her fingers and continue being pulled to different directions.

"Parsley, calm down," Sphynx says, sounding a bit exasperated. "You are fine, I am fine, everything is fine."

"F-fine?" The human repeats slowly and looks at him between her fingers. "N-nothing is fine!"

"Really? Then, what is wrong?" Sphynx asks blankly and yawns lazily.

"W-what i-is wrong? I-I…" Parsley stumbles with words. Her mind is blank from the question. "That… I, y-you? Grr! I don't know!"

Sphynx sighs again. "Then why are you so upset? Whatever the boy was, he didn't do us any harm."

"That's it!" Parsley suddenly points her index finger at him and the feline flinches from the change. Her hazel eyes are wide. "He deceived us! Pretending to take us to his home and then dumping us here! He must be in alliance with that mage!"

Sphynx stares up at her in a bored-manner. "…huh," is the only thing he lets out and then scratches his neck with his paw. "Even if they are, you shouldn't worry about it."

She looks down at the ground with a frown and lowers her hand. Parsley can't believe what she is hearing. "Sphynx… I thought we were going home. Why… why aren't you upset?"

"There is no need to get upset right here and now," he says and then jumps into her lap, so that the hazel eyes can look into his golden ones. "We will go home, Parsley. But we cannot start panicking. The mage can give us an advice to get back."

"…Please don't tell me you really believe that nonsense about another world."

"She is telling the truth."

The woman shakes her head and gently pushes the feline away. "This is ridiculous. You must have hit your head."

Sphynx looks ready to retort, but then is silenced by a new sound.

Parsley lets out an: "Eeep!" when a hard surface hits her on the head, causing a sharp yet dull throb. She covers her head immediately to stop a new collision, but it never comes.

"Calling my words nonsense, huh?" The old woman is now right next to the younger one, looking at her under the heavy wrinkles. "Is this how youngsters respect their elders? I have been good to ya and the fur ball over there and ya don't believe me? Tch!" The magician stays still, staring widely, silently up at the mage who throws her a sideway glare. The greying woman turns her back to Parsley and limps back towards the house with her staff tightly clutched in her vice-like grip. "Now come along! Ya must eat something and not collapse on my doorstep!"

"Was it you?"

"Hm?" The mage stops and looks at the young woman on the ground. She is still clutching her head and her hazel eyes are glaring at the grey head of the elder person.

"Did you put a spell on the forest and send 'Robin' to take us back here?"

The wrinkles deepen. "What on earth are ya talking about?"

"We got lost in the forest and there came this young boy, Robin, to "help" us. You know him, don't you?" Parsley looks even more riled up and stands up. "Why? Why can't you let us leave from here? We aren't your prisoners!"

Parsley doesn't flinch, when Sphynx is soon at her side and touches her leg with his paw. It is awfully close to the spot where his claw marks are at, but he makes no move to touch them. He is obviously trying to calm her down like this. Thinking she won't continue exploding, if there is a contact between them. _Well, he can think again!_

Her hands curl into fists, and she takes a step forward, away from her friend and closer to the old woman. She doesn't feel intimidated anymore, only tired and sad. The fact that the mage is shorter than her only adds the fuel to Parsley's bravery at the moment.

"Now listen here, brat," the mage says roughly, but doesn't come closer. "I don't know if ya are too scared or stupid, but ya need to calm down and listen to ya friend, if not me. We have already talked about this and the fact that ya can't simply go out there without getting your head chopped off!"

"I don't believe you," Parsley says and crosses her arms. "If you had said we were in another country, I would have believed you. But there is no such thing as another world."

"Fool!" Now the old lady looks more than upset and limps towards Parsley who takes a step back in fright. Green eyes glimmer madly in the sun that has not yet moved from its position in the highest peak of the sky. "Ya naïve, **foolish** child! Ya don't understand a thing by being in denial! Oh, how I am hoping ya will get a limb cut off, if ya go out of these woods!"

"Hey! Stop it! She will understand! You don't have to threaten her like this, old hag!" Sphynx jumps in front of Parsley, his teeth bared.

The mage's eyes are round and wide. "Ya want her to be ready and safe rather than having to see her cry later? She has tried to run and now she blames me for her misfortune. Bah! And now ya are even disrespecting me because I am trying to help," she almost sighs the last part out, but then raises her two fingers, index and middle. "Let me give ya two few advices, for both of ya. First, cat, ya need to stop babying your master. She isn't an infant that ya need to look after. Ya hear me? Ya keep on pushing her forward and then holding her back. Do ya know how irritating it looks in my eyes? No, ya don't. A familiar's mission is to protect the master, but not to a such a level that they can't do anything for themselves. Yet, ya seem to be straying from your lifelong path and mission. Just because I am yelling at her and hitting her, doesn't mean she will die from it. It is to get some **sense** into her big, **thick** skull."

Sphynx is quiet, glaring up at the mage in silent anger. His ears are flat against his head, but there is a clear snarl on his furry face. He looks ready to bite the finger, that is being pointed at him, off. Still, the words have hit him hard. He takes his job as a familiar seriously, so mentioning of that has made him swallow the words on the tip of his tongue.

"And ya," the mage points her finger at frightened Parsley. "I understand ya fear and suspicion towards me. Believe me, there was a time, when I didn't trust mages either. But ya life is at risk here, if ya continue behaving this way. I am no beast who will enjoy sending children into the lion's mouth. I also understand why ya can't believe me, in some ways. But many would think that after an experience like what ya went through, ya wouldn't even question the possibility of this place being far away from home. Did ya even see what the people who held you captive are capable of? Anyway, I don't care, if ya decide to leave, it is ya own, **damn** choice! But ya should be consider a lucky one for even getting a treatment from me!"

By the end of her rant, everything is deadly silent. Not even Parsley lets out a sound. It is funny, because few minutes ago she had been the one yelling at this woman and not the other way around. Her palms have become sweaty to the point she can't stop herself from wiping them against the jeans. Parsley feels uncomfortable. Both from being near the mage and from getting a lecture from her.

She shivers. There is a sudden, strong wind blowing the strands of her hair into every direction. However, Parsley can immediately hear a sound of something being dragged across the ground and turns around.

The forest has been parted, the trees have moved to the side and there is a straight path leading deeper into it. The wind shifts and then blows down the path, sending leaves on the ground flying around the place.

Parsley looks at the mage, who meets her gaze calmly. She can feel that there is a reason for this in those green orbs.

"I will give ya two choices," the old woman starts and waits for the younger one's reaction. When all she gets is a stiff figure and wide-eyed stare, she continues. "Ya can follow this path out of here and face the world outside. But I warn ya, if ya go now, I will not allow ya to return. I will not care how deep in trouble ya are or how much ya start crying over it. I have given ya a chance and ya must take it. Or, ya can stay here and figure things out. Like how ya got into this world for starters."

Parsley bites down on her lower lip and looks back towards the new path, getting chills and feeling her face paling. She doesn't still believe that she is in another world, but the foreigner people she saw had definitely not been a hallucination. And neither was that fairy who guided her out of her prison. So, if she goes out there, then she will be instantly spotted and dragged back to that horrible hell. At least, those are the images which are going through the young woman's mind. She swallows thickly her fears and tries to control her emotions.

The choices have made the amber brown-haired magician halt with her thoughts. It is like with Robin from many minutes ago. She is feeling confused, but more scared than before. It is like trying to solve a puzzle that is missing a piece.

 _Do I really want to die?_

Frustrated, Parsley turns away from the path and walks past the mage in a hurry. She can't believe the old lady had given her such options. It is outrageous and makes her feel very hot and angry.

She doesn't dare to take a step closer to the forest path. Parsley is too afraid to even glance back towards it. Instead, she is planning to stay far away.

Sphynx catches up with her and looks up at his owner. She can immediately see concern on his face but doesn't try to assure him that she is fine, when she is not. Her heartbeat has risen nearly past its limit and she can barely stop the tears in her eyes.

"I take it ya two will stay?" The mage yells loudly from behind the two.

Parsley doesn't stop or look back. She simply opens the door like she owns the place and steps inside.


	7. Chapter 6: Reality is a slap to a face

_Chapter 6_

 _Reality is a slap to a face_

* * *

It is raining, but the water does little to wash away the stench. It is soaked into every tree and leaf, into every grain of small rocks on the dirty road and most of all, into the puddles of water. The smell is metallic, coaxing the water drops that continue to fall, like inviting for the weather to be this gloomy all year long. Though, it is doubtful all of that amount of rainwater could ever quench the smell and make it fade away fully.

 _Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap._

Feet tap against both the messy ground and the liquids on them. Not only are there corpses lined and piled up one after another, but they also are still all bleeding. The red mixes with the dirty water of the puddles, creating a mess and coloring the brown ground with dark red.

The corpses are all pale, hued with blue and purple from purple and massive blood loss. Those that still have recognizable features either have their eyes shut – they are the ones that didn't want to see their final moments – or have both orbs half-open. The latter ones didn't like what they had seen, but it may be better that they are all now simply cold and will never stand up again.

That raises a question to every corpse. Why are there pairs of feet walking past them? After all, nobody is supposed to live after a massacre.

Though, if somebody is still half-alive among the pile of corpses, then they certainly wish to die instantly now. They don't want to look at the ones that made them like this.

 _Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap._

The sound of the feet hitting the ground – the water and blood – is enough to make anyone shiver in fright. Luckily it is raining. Nobody would want to venture out while the water continues falling and nobody would want to see such a homicidal sight.

So, whoever is currently complaining about the weather conditions and wishing for the sun to shine in the safety of their home, should think more carefully what they wish for.

" _Where next?"_ A gruff voice asks through the rain. The disturbing part about its owner, though, is that he walks without stopping on top of the blood and water. His steps are so leisure that one could forget where he is standing.

The other person next to him, isn't also displaying any emotions of being uncomfortable by the scenery. _"Land of Earth."_

" _What is our target?"_

" _A lord."_

" _Hopefully the shinobi there will be much interesting than this bunch,"_ is a nonchalant comment from the taller one. He seems to be looking around himself under the white strings of a round straw-hat. A dark chuckle full of humor comes out of him in a second. _"I don't even have half of my chakra restored, yet. And these guys still went down so easily."_

His partner does not comment further to his words and continues walking forward – away from the corpses. _"Let's go."_

" _How long do you think this trip will take us for?"_

" _Two days."_

" _Tch! We could make it there in a less amount of time, if…"_ the rest is muttered out with irritated tone.

The shorter male understands what he means. It is slightly irritating to him as well, for the jobs would be just as easy as in the past, if it weren't for _peculiar_ circumstances. Everyone is puzzled by them, and nobody seems to have an answer to any of the questions. There are many options, but none that could be that accurate enough. At least, to him, that is. Though, he can't think much beyond that at this point, because a sharp pulse goes through his eyes, and he nearly flinches.

The movement is barely noticeable, but his partner does notice it and chuckles. It is a very low sound, but still there. The shorter man doesn't show any reaction to it, already used to the presence of his partner.

" _Did you actually overuse them against these weaklings?"_

He doesn't bother answering and ignores the taller man. The said partner merely chuckles again, having gotten his answer with the silence. Though, he knows the reason why his partner's strength has been drained so quickly recently. For them both, performing simple jutsus has become a slight task.

Their own emotions – irritation, confusion, anger, bafflement – are only a scratch to the surface of how the other members of their organization feel.

 _Ting!_

Whoever had caused them to fall to this state, should be wary and careful from now on.

 _Ting! Ting!_

For there are bloodthirsty people seeking them out.

Coal colored eyes flash red for a mere moment, before turning back to normal and closing. A hand tightens around the hilt of a bandaged sword, flexing on it few times.

 _Ting!_

The cause of their troubles and misfortunates shall be dragged down to the deepest pit.

* * *

"Alright, then," the mage spreads a piece of paper down on the table. It fills its whole surface, as she flattens it down more properly. She points her long nail down on a spot colored with light red color. "This is where we are."

Parsley swallows thickly the saliva gathering in her mouth. She has seen this map before while being tied up into a chair. She can clearly recall the voices of people and then the abuse. The young woman's stomach starts to clench itself and she has to sit down. This chair, in the kitchen next to the dining table, is more comfortable than the one back at the cell. It has a soft blanket thrown over it and feels smooth under the touch.

Seeing his owner getting relaxed, Sphynx jumps into her lap and feels immediately how her fingers are running through his fur. A deep purr comes out of him as a result. Parsley's lips twitch up, slightly, after hearing this.

"And this," the old woman points to a point not far away from the last one. "Is the place ya two escaped from, Konohagakure no Sato. You can say it is a capital of this country, that we are in, the Fire country."

Hazel eyes look up between the map and the mage. _She sounds so confident in this. And the map looks so real._ Frightened. That is how Parsley feels from analyzing the shapes and colors of different 'countries'. If someone were to try and create a fake reality and geographic shape of that reality, then that would certainly prove to be very challenging to those who don't have that kind of inspiration in them. But this map has detailed river routes, higher spots and lower ones accompanied with some islands around the sea area. Other lines form sea currents and then there are strange symbols on each patch of color on the land. They must be the names of the countries, but Parsley can't make out any of their meanings. She can only see lines and shapes.

She recognizes the writing as the same that the foreign organization tried to make her read. Truth to be told, Parsley thinks they were Chinese or Japanese people, but that thought sounded too absurd. The young woman isn't sure how those countries are being governed, but certainly they would not simply appear out of thin air with masks and weapons pointed at anyone who is simply passing by.

"How can you read the language?" Parsley asks after pondering it for a while.

"Obviously I learned it," the mage deadpans, but then waves her hand in the air, dismissingly. "There was someone who taught me, and that is that. As for ya, would it be interesting to give it a try?"

"No. Why would I do that?"

Green eyes look at her like she is a retarded student. " _Obviously_ because ya are stuck in here for a while. And if ya are really planning to go out there and survive, then ya need to."

This time, Parsley raises an eyebrow. "I have no reason to go out there. I have to go home."

The old woman barks out a laugh and looks at her with a nasty smirk. It makes Parsley flinch. "Lass, ya don't even know half of the reason why ya should."

The younger woman frowns, getting slightly uneasy from the words, and shifts in her chair. She also hugs Sphynx closer and he leans into her touch. _Why does she have that look in her eyes?_ The young woman averts her own gaze to the side and strokes the fur under her fingers nervously.

The mage continues, regardless of the little reaction she got. "Ya lost a lot of magical energy, when ya came here, right?"

The younger woman stiffens and looks back up. "How did you know?"

"Do ya still honestly think that I am only a crazy, old baboon?" A white eyebrow raises. When there is a heavy silence and a movement from a cat's tail, the mage clicks her tongue.

"…Such a thing, as another world, doesn't exist," Parsley mutters and looks away again.

The elderly female bristles. "Then why are you being so calm all of sudden and not shouting my head off and accusing me of 'imprisoning' you and your cat?"

"Maybe because I am tired," the magician states and rubs her somewhat red eyes. She lowers her hand, voice steadier than she thought. "I… just want to go home."

The mag stares at the young magician silently and drums her thin fingers against the table's surface. Parsley doesn't know what she is thinking, nor what kind of expression she has on. Instead, the hazel eyed woman continues stroking her cat's back in slow motions.

 _What if this is all real? Will I die in this strange place?_ As if trying to make herself feel even worse, she starts to see images of her dying self. Pale, twitching on the ground in both pain. All bones in the limbs broken and shattered. Blood pooling out from both her mouth and a gaping hole in the middle of the stomach. _No! I don't want to!_

"Lass, what do ya think happened, when ya came here?" The mage asks suddenly, snapping Parsley out of her horrible thoughts.

"U-um…" she stumbles with words. "I think… that the spell I used opened a wormhole of some sort?"

Green eyes blink and the old woman shrugs. "Well, in a way yes. But do ya think it was simply your power, that caused it to happen?"

 _Is she…?_ The hairs on the back of her neck stand up, as Parsley's hands start to sweat. "Are you saying that something else also caused it?"

"That is what I am trying to explain here. Shifting between two worlds acquires a large supply of power. If it isn't available, the user would simply be sucked dry, so to say."

Now, Parsley's face definitely pales, and Sphynx stiffens. She can feel his gaze dart between her and the other woman. The magician is starting to get the picture and she inhales shakily. At the time, she had simply thought it was a miracle and a horrible experience, but now she is realizing things could have been much worse.

She and her familiar could have actually died then and there, in the Windy Mountains, because she simply messed up a simple spell. The reality makes all the air nearly escape from her lungs. Parsley's mouth opens and closes like a fish from shock, while her whole body starts to tremble.

The magician thought her time with those black cloaked men had been the worst thing that has ever happened to her, but no. She has now escaped death around three to four times. She is still not sure, would she have died in the forest from passing out on the fairy or eventually from all the torture and physical stress. Either way, Parsley is overwhelmed.

"Do ya need a bucket? Ya look ready to throw up," the old woman comments after a while, sounding a tad bit amused.

Swallowing whatever is ready to rise up, Parsley's eyes start to feel hot. "N-no."

"Ya sure? If ya throw up, then ya will clean it all up, too."

"…I am sure," it comes out hesitantly and the young woman clenches her fists together under the table. She nearly jumps, when a sudden warmth touches her shoulder.

"Parsley, it is okay," Sphynx says, while rubbing his head against her.

She hopes that he doesn't notice her flinch, even though it is pretty obvious he can with the close proximity. After the natural reflex, she feels ashamed and startled by her own reaction. This is Sphynx, not a stranger who means any harm to her. Yet, her body had reacted to naturally to his presence and touch.

He had also been in danger to die, when she performed the spell. It is her fault that they ended up in this strange place in the first place. So how can he say that 'it is okay'? She doesn't see it that way. There is nothing alright with this situation. A tight lump starts to gather in her throat and makes her nearly choke on it. Pressure gathers in her chest, head and soon even her vision becomes blurry. For a moment, Parsley fears she might be dying from a heart attack – she trembles slightly.

 _I am crying…_ Her face warms up, and she lowers her gaze, embarrassed and ashamed. She can't begin to image how pathetic she must look to anyone who can see her right now. No doubt the mage finds her annoying.

As if reading her thought, the mage rolls her eyes. "Listen to ya cat, for once stupid lass. There is nothing for ya to fear inside this house, so stop that weeping already."

Those words are enough to make Parsley shut her eyes tightly. The older woman doesn't quite understand why she is like this. She doesn't even think about fearing this house or her. She is in shock and tears don't seem to stop easily. Her breaths come in and out, but quite heavily. She has to calm down.

Shakily wiping away the moistures liquid from her eyelashes, Parsley looks at the mage with a frown. She isn't quite used to people talking to her this way. Like nonchalantly, bluntly and somewhat rudely, when her upbringing had provided something else. Just hearing a rude tone makes the magician nearly flinch away. The yelling inside the cell room had been bad enough, though. So, Parsley guesses this kind of treatment is much better compared to that.

She is starting to see reason, why her cat doesn't completely dislike this woman. She can be as blunt as he, when needed. Though, maybe even more than he is sometimes. But tolerates her to some level. The mage has patched him and Parsley up, so the gratitude is probably keeping him from lashing out. Frankly, it is amusing to see him seethe in silent anger.

Naturally, her hazel eyes slide down to the feline to see him narrowing his golden eyes at the greyer figure on the other side of the table.

 _He really wouldn't be like this, if this woman wasn't worth it._ Hazel eyes, red from all around, look towards the green ones with calculating look. Parsley wants to understand what is truly going inside that mind and figure out the truth. Should she really start believing the unbelievable?

"H-how did you come into this world?" She is hesitating. The words sound so weird and silly on her tongue, after they have come out, because it reminds her of a child.

The mage blows air through her nose and leans back in her chair. "Well, much like ya, I didn't choose to come in here willingly. Call it an accident of some sort and let us move on in yar case."

It is quite clear, that the subject is not something to be discussed anymore. There are holes in the short story. It doesn't give any details out, but Parsley simply brushes the questions off of herself. This is none of her business, and not something she should be focusing on.

Besides, the look on the old woman's face is so bitter and glum that nobody would dare to drag it any further. Well, Parsley can relate from her own experiences. She also doesn't wish to talk about them in detail.

There is a mutual understanding, even from Sphynx.

"Anyway," Parsley shakes her head, getting rid of any unnecessary stuff in it. "Do you possibly have any idea, what other source made it possible for us to cross over?"

"Don't look at me. I have no idea what caused ya two to pop out," the greying woman raises her hands in the air, the long sleeves flapping and sliding down from the movement.

Parsley frowns again and leans back. "Okay," she drags the word out of her mouth quietly under her breath. "Then how can I get back home?"

This time, the mage doesn't say anything, and she looks at Parsley with a look that almost screams pity and thoughtfulness. Her green eyes are sharp and have the same calculating look in them that Parsley had some moments ago. The roles have switched, and now the old woman is trying to figure the younger one out.

Parsley sits stiffly, not even Sphynx's body heat and soft fur can give her reassurance and comfort. Her insides are all twitching painfully, and her entire mouth goes dry like a desert in a second. The young magician gets a very bad feeling from simply trying to read the mood in the air. But she is certain, that if there is a way here, then there is a way back.

"Ya can try to find the source that brought ya and the cat here, use it to go back, or…" a dramatic pause. The older mage is doing it on purpose and looking at the reactions Parsley and Sphynx are having. The magician's eyes are wide, even she can feel it despite the whirlwind and impatient emotions. As for the cat, he is staying quiet.

"Or ya can become a mage."

The first reaction Parsley has, is a snort. She covers it immediately with her hand, but the damage has already been done. Her shoulders are shaking, and she has no idea what is so amusing in this situation. But after a second of registering the situation and trying to calm down, Parsley has figured out why. Honestly, she is finding these opportunities and choices ridiculous. _Is she expecting me to take the latter? Ha!_

It is starting to feel like the mage is trying to drive the magician into a corner, trying to show and convince that there really aren't any other options. Parsley starts to get suspicious vibes, after she starts to catch her breath and wipes away a stray tear from the corner of her eye.

However, the young woman's face freezes into a firm mask, when she notices the look she is being given. The green eyes don't look amused.

"Are you being serious?" Sphynx is the one who brings up the question on his master's lips. He jumps on the table and walks across the map to the old woman. "How can you expect her to go through with any of those options?"

Parsley raises an eyebrow. She isn't sure, if he means it or not, but she is starting to think her familiar is actually doubting her capability of even going out to find a way back home. Somehow, it makes her feel like a coward, and betrayed. Flustered, Parsley bites down on her tongue and continues watching the exchange.

"Do **ya** even know how to get the two of ya out of this world?" The mage asks back and raises and eyebrow in a mocking manner. When she only gets silence as an answer, a small grin spreads on her dry lips. "Didn't think so. By becoming a mage, she will have a much better chance in surviving and getting back home."

Not liking the position her friend is being put in, Parsley stands up and reaches out to him. She scoops him up and the feline doesn't resist and sits on her shoulder.

The young woman admits, that the mage is somewhat making a good point. Naturally, Parsley and Sphynx will be defenseless and can't possibly protect themselves, like last time during the encounter with the masked people. Not to mention how poor she is in using magic in the first place. But, the method she should use in order to avoid danger isn't appealing. _Becoming something like that will put a brand on me._ Parsley doesn't want to live the rest of her life holding a secret.

"I-I'm sorry. But I will **never** become a mage," she says it with a serious face. The tone leaving no room for an argument. Parsley's twitches again from nervousness of declining the option but doesn't back down. Despite not knowing what her answer could trigger in the old woman. Though, Parsley adds after a pause: "I could get into serious trouble from simply becoming one… and I doubt I would ever have the capability of using that sort of magic, when I am in… incapable of even mastering the basic of magical studies."

 _It is the truth._ Hazel orbs lower down to the table. This is a hobby Parsley seems to have under a sudden depression, she herself has noticed. _It is because I keep on messing up that I am here._

"Tell me lass, how bad are you with magic? Surely the cat was exasperating, when he told me about it, ha!" The old lady cackles at the end, truly thinking her words have light meaning.

The question makes Parsley's cheeks warm up and the said cat has a similar, awkward reaction to the question. Parsley slowly drags her gaze down at her friend, who refuses to meet her eyes. He is obviously trying to avoid it on purpose and stiffens, when the arms around him tighten warningly. The magician is not happy from hearing what Sphynx has been spouting out about her and gives herself a mental note to talk with him later.

However, Parsley is also avoiding the eye contact. Her face feels even hotter, when the silence in the room is dragged on and embarrassing memories fill her head. _Don't open your mouth, don't open your mouth! You will only shame yourself even more!_ Despite having some of her modesty showed back, Parsley is starting to realize how hideous she still seems.

Finally, it seems like the mage has figured things out and barks out an even louder laugh. Parsley flinches from hearing this and her head unconsciously lowers, her long bangs hiding half of her beef red face.

"I-is it true that ya blew up a hole in ya friend's house? Through the ceiling?"

 _What did he_ _ **tell**_ _her!?_

The mage calms down, but the nasty grin on her face isn't gone. "Ya still think ya can find a way back home with a talent like ya have? I would think ya have no talent at all! Ha!"

Parsley flinches, words hitting her hard in the heart. It throbs few times, before she inhales and swallows a tight lump in her throat. She can't show another weak and embarrassing side of her now. She has suffered enough humiliation as it is. And the way the mage just put it reminds Parsley of her time in school few years ago. A teacher of hers had said the same thing.

"What about you?" She asks quietly at first, but when her voice doesn't reach above the laugher, Parsley raises it, face red, but from different reason than before. "Why are you still in here? If you know the way back, then why you have stayed in here?"

The laugher doesn't ease, but the grey-haired woman manages to answer. "Even if I returned to our world, there would be nothing there for me, brat. My family died, when I was young, and shortly after that I arrived here. End of story." Hazel eyes waver from the new information and Parsley starts to feel a little bad for asking. But the mage doesn't seem bothered even a little. She wears a nonchalant expression and picks up dirt under her long fingernails. "Enough with this nonsense talk. Go take a bath and let's call it a night."

"Wait! We are not done," Parsley says in panic. There are still things she wants to ask. She is desperate to get answers.

"Oh, yes we are. If I have to sit around here a moment longer with ya smelly being near the whole time, then it is my time to barf," the mage states and stands up with her staff, ignoring the young woman's distraught expression.

Parsley is honestly starting to lose the smallest fragments of her patience and she fights an urge to rip her hair off, as she watches the older woman walk out of the kitchen. She has left the map on the table, with many unanswered questions and confused the magician even further. _Wait, do I even remember anything we talked about?_ She wanted to way to go back, but she is still unsure what to do. They don't even know where they have to go and what truly caused the spell to open a portal. Just for what have the three of them been doing in this room for the past half an hour?

When the mage is out of sight, Parsley looks down at the map on the table helplessly and lowers herself on the chair. She covers her face with her hands and leans back slowly. The nerves in her body, however, make her stand back up and pace around the kitchen without any destination. The pulling is finally taking a toll on the roots and few strands float down to the wooden floor. Noticing this, Parsley crosses her arms and walks towards the window.

First the incident with Robin… she doesn't even know what he was. Nor has the mage told her name. Does she even have one? Why is she keeping all the important stuff in the dark? The questions are making Parsley more doubtful and suspicious of her host. But one thing is clear, though. She knows that this place isn't her world anymore.

But what about the fairy and the tree spirit? Why this world has those as well? The fairy hadn't given a valid reason for her willingness to help a human. Despite probably knowing that the said human was a magician. She had showed clear dislike towards Parsley.

Goosebumps appear around the woman's arms and she rubs them through her sleeves. She recalls easily the time in the forest and in those hollow hallways. The moments, when her heart almost jumped out of the ribcage are memories that make her legs grow weak. Parsley tries not to think, she wants to empty her mind from those moments. It didn't happen that long ago, though. So, the memories are fresh and will definitely feel like it for a long time.

Parsley looks down at her wrists, blinks and can almost see faint, red lines on them, long fingernails covered in dirt, and skin filled with light bruising and blood. _Wait, did I get wounded back there?_ She did. Back with the scarred man.

A chill goes down her back, her knees grow weak. But then she almost jumps out of her skin, when Sphynx jumps on the windowsill right in front of her.

"Are you alright?" He asks and one of his ears twitch.

Parsley shakes her head immediately and rubs her face. "Sphynx, I-I can't calm down. I-it… feels like my heartbeat is too high."

"You look ready to cry as well," he says, but not in an offending way. There is worry in his tone.

The comment hits the nail on the head, a bit too well. She nods weakly and starts to feel the salty liquid gathering in her eyes but holds them back. It isn't like she has enough reason to cry now. The magician is simply frustrated, like a child that is about to have a meltdown.

The bluish furred feline doesn't move, as he is picket up. He is raised to an eyelevel with his mistress who frowns, clearly forcing her gloomy mood down. Though, the trembling lower lip tells that she is close on losing the battle. "I don't smell that bad, right?"

Parsley watches the cat take few sniffs, before his whole face wrinkles. "Yes, you do."

"You aren't supposed to say that!" Actually offended, she lowers him and walks out of the kitchen with a huff. Maybe, if circumstances were different, she would find his comment a bit funny. But now, when she feels like a weight of a brick is on her shoulders, Parsley feels even worse.

* * *

"That girl sure is a pain in the arse."

Sphynx turns his small head slightly to glare up at the old woman. She is in the middle of drinking tea from an overly delicate-looking cup – no doubt made out of porcelain – _Where did she even get it? –_ and leans back on her chair with satisfied sigh.

Despite offering to a magician to become someone like her, the mage couldn't look less concerned about the state she had left Parsley in. It makes the bluish furred cat feel a tad bit irritated.

First, he has failed to cheer his ward up miserably. No familiar method has worked so far; Not the gentle and reassuring words of sweet and warm promises; Not purring against the stomach or the skin on the face; Nothing has had any effect on Parsley. She merely keeps brushing him off – not that he is hurt from receiving such cold and distant treatment. In fact, he has totally expected this from the moment she woke up in this house.

His magician goes alongside her emotions. She is displeased with everything. Hurt, afraid and confused to the point she practically radiates all of those emotions. He has felt them during the few minutes he had been beside her after the conversation in the kitchen, and even when she had trailed towards a bathroom quietly and closed the door behind herself. It served and serves as a barrier between them.

"All I have tried is to help her and this is the 'thank you' I get? Bah! Youngsters certainly have forgotten how to treat the elderly," the last sentence is muttered quietly, but the words can't escape from the ears of a cat.

The mage huffs and takes out a pipe, snapping her fingers and creating a small spark out of thin air.

Sphynx perks up, his mind racing throughout the years of experience and studying. _Fire magic; Beginners course number two, from the book of 'Elements of Magic' by John Miller, 2016. Create tense, but small energy core between your fingers by drawing magic across the length of your arm and releasing the tension afterwards with a snap of your fingers._ His fur nearly stands up, when he recalls the last rows of the chapter. _Warnings: Too large concentration can cause fire to spread across all the tissues of an arm. In worst cases, fire magic will consume the entire body of its wielder, or it will stay in the arm and burn it off. Proceed with caution and careful steps. Use protective barrier._

He never liked those lessons. The ones where Parsley could be at risk, but neither did she. He could always tell, when her nerves burned with anxiety.

However, the familiar knows that the old mage didn't use her own magical energy to create a small fire. She drew it from the air around them. Something, which is _forbidden_.

A puff of smoke comes between dry lips. The grey cloud spreads in the air, until it has faded completely with a faint scent of smoke left floating around the room. Because Parsley's father has a tendency to smoke sometimes, Sphynx is used to it. Though, he can't stop from wrinkling his nose in distaste.

The mage inhales the smoke again and blows it out for the second time. "It surprises me that ya have not abandoned that brat, yet."

Whether the words were supposed to rile him up or not, he could not care less. He works on instinct and gets defensive – his ears flat against his head as a natural reaction. "What do you mean?"

"I know ya are like a mother hen around her, sometimes," she starts, ignoring his stance that indicates him to be ready to pounce. "But yar kin – especially cats – are picky about their owners. Not to mention that the lass is incomplete with ya, ya know."

Surprisingly, Sphynx doesn't get angry at all. Instead, he becomes almost thoughtful.

He does know. There was once a time, when Parsley's family member had noticed it as well. Sphynx is also sure that her parents have at some point doubted how both their daughter and her familiar could get along. Instead of it becoming disastrous, the magic cat has developed ways to guide his master. Even if she is a hopeless case in magic studies, he sees her as a part of her family. And that is what matters the most to familiars.

But, he does admit. That in situations like these, he can do nothing. He has shrugged off the circumstances that have lead the two of them to this point, but it seems like the magician has not. She has closed herself into self-pity and fear. That combination is more than enough for her not to be able to take in any kind of comfort at this point, unfortunately.

Sphynx almost wants to start hitting his head against the nearest wall. Sure, they are in an unfamiliar place – a world – surrounded by even crazier and unnatural creatures and people, but that hasn't made him flinch even a little. He has always gone mostly with the flow. In his eyes, they would simply need to find a way to send the two of them back and the problem would be solved. _I swear… The things I do for her._

"Can you help us?"

"Weren't ya listening, when I explained how that is done?"

"I _did_. But can _you_ helpus in any way?"

A white eyebrow is raised, and the mage tilts her head. "Exactly what are ya expecting me to do? Do ya expect me to use a spell to find out what caused ya two to crossover here? Or perhaps ya want me to be one of those crappy guides in museums and drag ya all over this world?"

"…" The cat can only stare up at her emotionlessly. Honestly, he may have imagined some of things at some point.

"How predictable…" she mutters under her breath, but then waves her hand. "Stop looking at me like that. Ya look too much like an animal."

Sphynx nearly huffs from that. "I am an animal."

"Ya are a familiar of a magician," she states and places her pipe down, before blowing last smoke away. "Anyway, do ya not have anything better to do than bothering me?"

"Currently Parsley is occupied. So, I have time."

The old mage smirks dryly. "Are ya sure that ya should leave the lass alone? She might really give up on everything soon and hang herself with the bathrobe."

"She won't," Sphynx's eyes harden, but otherwise he is calm. He isn't worried about what the woman has just said to him. Parsley won't commit a suicide, as long as he is still around and by her side.

Green eyes slide from the pipe to the feline for a second with disinterest in them, before closing. Thin shoulders fall and rise under the thick looking woolen scarf. With her face looking a bit lax now, she has an air of a much younger woman. The mage is truly absorbed in her own little world for a moment, until she opens her eyes again and looks out of the window.

"You put so much faith in her," she comments and leaves her words hanging in the room.

Sphynx has noticed it before, but she really has the sharpest eyes. Not in a form of their shape or color, but rather how they look at everything. He can't exactly call it contempt – though, it may be close enough and laced with dull amusement. Even now, a cryptical smile plays on her dry lips. The expression on her face looks bitter to the feline, yet as soon as it is there it is gone as well.

Unlike most of the humans – magicians are countable as well – this woman has an air of mystery to her. Not only is the magic around her nearly visible, it covers her and the whole house like a cloak. It is thin but concealing. To the tips of her hair and eyelashes, Sphynx can smell the tingling spells and it sends a soft vibration throughout his body. He has never been around this much stored and well-maintained magic before. To him, it smells pleasant.

"Ya know, all of ya familiars are so…" she trails off, looking almost lost what to say next, but then she simply blows a raspberry and stands up. "If ya truly want me to help ya two, then don't complain later. Alright, furball?"

He refuses to bristle from the way she has addressed him. "Fine. But, _do_ tell me what you are about to do."

She has changed her mind and words so easily, that it is suspicious. The cat wonders what has caused the change of tune so suddenly. Because he isn't sure about it, he can't say that he is happy that his will went through. There is no ill meant intention around her, nor does he sense any kind of negative emotion coming from her.

As if she could care less what he thinks, the old woman limps out of the room with her staff. Her gaze is focused on ahead, but her eyes seem to be clouded by deep thoughts. "That mistress of yars better stop crying by the time I am finished. Because we are all outsiders here, we need to stand on our own feet. This world doesn't take kindly to people like us."

That really doesn't answer his question, but Sphynx lets it slide. For now, at least. No matter how vexed he is starting to get by the vague words, he needs this woman's help – he and Parsley do.

* * *

Parsley brushes her wavy hair back into a low ponytail and brushes few more strands behind her ear. Instead of seeing her white, dirty shirt in the reflection, a brownish cape is covering her from neck below and nearly brushes the ground. The magician is grateful from getting a new set of clothes, but these are not exactly the ones she had in mind. Under the cape, she is wearing a light pink dress, and it clashes painfully with the green, whenever the cape moves to the side.

More importantly, it is a **dress** she is currently wearing. The last time she did, Parsley was about ten years younger. The shoes she is wearing are also too strange and look more like a pair of sandals than real shoes.

Her feelings must be clear on her face, because Sphynx whispers: "Parsley, your face is wrinkling."

She shoots him a look, which he replies by shrugging his shoulders. It is kind of weird to see a cat do that, so Parsley looks back to the mirror.

Despite not liking that state of her clothes, she admits that her hair looks much better after a bath. The grim dark drops of dried blood on the tips she had discovered at one point are gone. The roots are not greasy anymore and every bit of hair looks clean and soft to the touch. It is one good point Parsley has ever found in her locks. The waves they have make them look fuzzy and healthy. Though, she also finds that as flaw. Sometimes, they are so fuzzy in fact that the whole thing might start to look close to an afro. Luckily, she managed to find a way to tie it earlier.

However, it is her face that makes the warm blood in Parsley's veins freeze. She looks so different, that it is startling. Her warmly tanned skins healthy glow is gone, and paler version has taken its place. The fat on her face has lessened some amount, as well. So, she looks much thinner – something she should be happy about but isn't. The way she lost pounds… was by starvation. The abrupt loss has left scars on the skin – Parsley has seen them, when changing. They are so thin, but visible and mar the area of stomach and thighs. She has never thought how long one would need to starve to become like this, but it seems she had been in that _pit_ long enough for that to happen.

No sunlight, food, water, warmth or comfort of any sort had been given, and the reflection Parsley is seeing is the result. Pale, almost sickly thin version of herself with dark rings under hazel eyes.

Just then, the mage woman returns, and Parsley quickly cools her expression – barely managing to keep her facial muscles from twitching – and turns away from the mirror, long hem flowing in the air. She cringes from the feeling of the wind against her legs, though. It would take some time to get used to this.

"Hmph!" The older woman crosses her arms.

Green orbs eye the magician critically from the tip of her visible flat shoes to the top of her now clean head. Parsley feels uncomfortable under such observation and shifts her weight from one leg to another while glancing around the place. She is not too sure, what is behind this sudden dressing up. But she does have a small idea, that is not so pleasant. _We are going out._

"Ya two look decent enough. Now, let's go," the mage says and turns her back to the woman and the cat.

Parsley feels her stomach make a turn together with her other intestines. She had been right with her assumptions. Though, it should have been pretty obvious what is going to happen, but she is not prepared enough. "Where are we going?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The old woman asks and pushes the wooden door open, letting some sunlight in easily. Her frail looking hands continues holding it open, green eyes looking at hazel ones with impatience. "To town."

Her fears become worse and Parsley takes a small step back. But when Sphynx jumps gracefully to her shoulder, her loud heartbeat softens a bit. Sweat forms on her hands, though. "W-why?"

The old mage looks one hundred percent done and lifts her staff. "What is up with that stupid expression? Hurry up."

Parsley's entire body stiffens, not that it already hadn't. But this is different, because she actually starts to move forward. Her mind is blank for a second, but then starts to work and a panicked expression forms on her face. It should be her brain giving orders to limbs, not some nonexistent force that is currently making her move towards the open door. What is worse, it is easy to comprehend that this is the mage's doing.

An impish smile spreads across thin and wrinkly lips, revealing dirty yellow teeth. The sight makes the magician feel repulsed and frightened.

Sphynx must have same thoughts and finally starts to understand that everything is not right, because a low growl erupts from his small chest. "What are you doing to Parsley!?"

"Calm down, furball," the mage says easily, still looking amused by the expression on Parsley's face. "If she needs some help to get out, then so be it. We don't have all day to wait for her to make up her mind, ya know."

Sphynx is still growling, his claws gracing faintly his owner's shoulder through fabric. Parsley is glad that he is trying to defend her, for she can't get a word out of her mouth. She wonders, if it is the mage using her tricks again, or if she herself is simply too flabbergasted to utter a sound. Either way, she makes it out of the house – hut, or whatever it is called – and feels the warmth and the light of the sun warm and blind her.

But, to the magician's astonishment she can move freely again. Whatever enchantment or spell she had been under a second ago, it is gone now.

Thin whiskers tickle Parsley's cheek and she twists her neck slightly to look at Sphynx. He blinks once. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…" she trails off, but then snaps from whatever bafflement is left in her and whirls around to face the mage who calmly walks past her. "W-what w-was that!?"

She simply rolls her green eyes like that would be an answer enough for the young woman. "Enough with pointless questions. I have waited long enough, and my supplies don't grow fuller by sitting around in my house."

"Supplies?" Sphynx asks, completely clueless. Just like his owner who starts to take hesitant steps forward. She doesn't want to repeat the previous experience of being controlled. "Wouldn't going into a town be dangerous? Aren't there other one of those _people_ there?"

Parsley mentally agrees with him and keeps the distance between the old woman and herself. The further away they are from the hay roofed house, Parsley becomes more uneasy.

"Yes and no," is the nonchalant answer. "We will not be going anywhere near the country where ya two escaped from."

Two pairs of eyes – hazel and gold – meet in silent question. They are both filled with uncertainty.

* * *

Parsley feels out of place in the middle of the sea of people. The scents, sounds, different face are an overwhelming sight. So much so, that she has frozen to her spot, legs firmly placed on the ground and eyes staring widely around the marketplace. There are too many things to experience with senses that she can't think straight.

Something collides with her shoulder, making the young woman gasp and stumble away like a frightened mouse. Her hazel eyes wide, she looks at a rough small man recovering the collision and turning to glare at her with a red face. It makes an electricity wave of panic go up and down her spine. She takes a step back, as a thick finger is pointed at her.

Foreign words flow out of his mouth at rapid pace, sending Parsley's nerves skyrocketing. _W-what is h-he saying!?_

Her mouth opens and closes, about to form a reply. But a cold chill racking her body reminds and warns her against it. She realizes that simply staying quiet and not revealing that she doesn't understand a thing would be the best choice. But…

 _What should I do!?_ She looks around in panic, sweat forming from walking too long and the bright scorching sun boiling the top of her head. The way spit is flying from the older man's mouth towards her isn't helping at all. _W-where is Sphynx?! A-and the m-mage!?_ Her eyes dart around hysterically and then they land on the angry male continuously raising his voice and gaining the attention of the people passing by. Parsley starts to feel faint and trembles, wishing for the earth to swallow her. _Wh-why won't he stop y-yelling at me!?_

Despite being outside where there is plenty of air to breathe in, she feels like she can't draw in breath properly anymore. Now, she notices just how many pairs of eyes there are upon her and their invisible pressure blocks any kind of airway. Her ears strain from trying to make sense of nonsense-like muttering happening around the small circle forming around her and the older man.

Parsley wants to say something. To make them back off or stop the man from yelling at her. She didn't do anything wrong, right? The two of them merely bumped against each other. Not understanding anything about this situation is so frustrating and scary. _W-what am I-I supposed to do?_ Tears start to gather in her eyes and under the long hem Parsley's knees have started to buckle against each other. _Should I w-walk away?_ The figures around her start to become blurry spots. _B-but there are s-so many…_

"Oi. Nani shiteruno?" Suddenly, a bony hand is gripping Parsley's upper arm. She stiffens but relaxes before a panic can take over her. It is the old mage and she looks at the young woman with a bored expression. Her sudden appearance has caused the man fall silent for a second, before his baffled expression turns into anger, again. He starts speaking with the same tone that he used on Parsley, but this time it is directed at the grey-haired woman.

Somehow, Parsley feels a chill, when the strong hold on her arm loosens and green eyes turn from bored to irritated. "Nani?" The man has obviously done or said something he shouldn't have.

Soft brush against the side of her leg tells the young magician that her cat has arrived at the scene. She looks down to see she is right and quickly picks her friend up. He calmly places his head against her shoulder and lets his owner's fingers threat through his fur like a comb. Though, Parsley is certain he can sense her anxiety and lingering fear from the amount of people around them but tries to act neutral about it.

She wants to ask where the mage and her familiar had disappeared to all of sudden and what took them so long to come and help her. But she bites down on her tongue instead. She doesn't even dare to go through with the thought of whispering. Instead, she focuses nervously to the scene happening before them.

The mage is pointing her staff towards the man, who is now oddly silent. In fact, he looks very awkward with his hands resting on his side almost limply and staring wide-eyed – if not a little horrified – at the wrinkled woman. Parsley almost feels bad for him. Almost.

Both cat and the magician flinch, when the old woman spits on the ground. It startles mostly everyone who see it. But she doesn't give them much thought and walks away, gesturing for Parsley to follow her. The young woman does exactly that, not wanting to stick out in the middle of the crowd anymore.

"Why didn't ya stay close like I instructed?" Is the first thing the old woman hisses out at Parsley, once they are certainly out of sight. Spit flies between her teeth. "Do ya have any idea what a scene ya caused?"

"I-I…" Parsley stammers, still a bit shocked from what had happened. She holds Sphynx closer and lowers her slightly wet eyes. "I am sorry."

"Ya should be," the mage sighs. "Well, enough of that. Wipe away those tears and let's get moving again. I am already late."

Sphynx licks one strain tear away from Parsley's cheek. "It will be fine. I will stay with you from now on."

She looks down at his small furry face for a while, but then smiles a little and strokes the area behind his ear. "Good. That man was so scary."

The old woman snorts from hearing her comment. "He was all bark but no bite. Ya can find a lot of those kind of people around these parts. Remember to walk away the next time someone stops ya."

"There were so many people around me," she says and starts to follow the older woman out from their small hiding spot. "I didn't know what to do."

Another snort. "They are people. Not animals that will bite ya."

Parsley stiffens, repeating those words in her head. The mage is right, and she starts to feel stupid for reacting the way she had. She has no idea how come she felt so threatened while standing in the middle of the marketplace. It isn't like she has always liked to be surrounded by so many people, but she does admit that her earlier reaction had been a bit extreme –

 _No. My reaction was completely normal._ Does she literally have to embrace these foreign people after what she has been through? Because if this mage is expecting that to happen, then she is gravely mistaken.

Sphynx must be on the edge, because he hisses: "We didn't ask your comment on this."

"Ya also didn't ask me to rescue ya from the woods or heal yar wounds and lo and behold how that turned out."

The conversation ends there and the three are walking in silence towards the crowd of people for the second time today. Parsley's anxiety returns, and she starts to bite down on her lower lip and tongue repeatedly.

She really can't help, but picture that same dark room, whenever she glances at an unfamiliar face, or hears the foreign language. Her stomach drops into a pit of despair every time. She can't stand the thought of staying in this place for too long. The skin under the fabric of the sleeves is filled with goosebumps, despite it being a warm day.

The different scents – unfamiliar ones – are starting to become suffocating. There is no familiar scent of salt or fish. No seagulls screaming everyone's ears off nor that dog that barks every time someone passes by its owner's flat.

The young woman nearly whimpers under her breath, as she starts to take more quicker steps. If Sphynx hears or notices this, he doesn't say or show it.

 _Ting!_

A faint sound of bells reaches Parsley's ears, but she doesn't think much about it. It is just another unfamiliar noise for her ears to hear. But for a frighteningly long second, she thinks there is a smell of metal in the air.

 _Ting! Ting!_

* * *

They arrive to a less busy corner of the town. Parsley thinks she can call it a suburb of some kind. There are also less people, but that fact does not make her feel any better. Instead, she feels like this is an area that someone could call a dumpster town – a place she should not be at.

The houses and residents look… broken, if that is the right description. Parsley doesn't look around much, but she has seen few houses that are completely in ruins and some's walls have fallen. The sun is shining, but it does nothing to brighten up the mood of the area. There are no stalls filled with food or stuff for anyone to buy. Only cardboard boxes serve either as a resting area or have small useless looking objects on them.

Hesitantly, Parsley glances to the side – only to see three men dressed in drags standing in the shadow of an alley. They all have a bad vibe to them, so she averts her gaze back to the ground in a hurry. A cold chill goes down her spine, thinking that for a moment one of them had looked to her direction.

She has never been in a place like this one. It is terrifying.

" _Stay low, bite your tongue, do not look anyone in the eye and stay close,"_ is what the old mage told her – ordered – to do. It is necessary, though, and Parsley wholeheartedly agrees.

 _Still…_ Her hazel eyes trail up to the back of the dress hovering above the ground ahead. The heels are bare because of the straw-sandals and look dry and covered in dirt from the ground. The eyes trail up to the long hair, put slightly up with a messy braid. _Why can't she tell me why we are here? This place is too… dirty._ Her arms tighten around Sphynx. It is something she has been doing a lot during the period of time they have been walking _._ He must be displeased by the constant squeezing, for he has released a quiet growl every time the arms around him become too tight. And every time it happens, Parsley doesn't bother to even mutter a very, very quiet 'sorry'. Her nerves are as rigid as are her muscles – ready to bolt.

Those surviving instincts get worse, when she has to follow the withering woman inside a building. It isn't big compared to the others around it, nor is it smaller than them. It looks ordinary, made out of hard rock and a rusting metal roof covers the top like an overly used hat. And when the magician is fully in, the stench of the metal and grass fills her nostrils.

Honestly, she really would prefer the busy street over this dump. It feels so much hotter in here than outside.

Suddenly, the mage stops and turns to look at her in the eyes. She raises one bony finger and points down to the ground. _Stay._

Reluctantly, Parsley glues her feet to the ground. She is uncertain what is going to happen, but it isn't like she knows where the safest direction to run to is. The young woman lets the warmth and softness of her familiar's fur be more than enough to soothe her.

Noticing that she is complying, the old woman gives a curt nod and walks to a counter made out of wobbly looking wood. She starts talking to a man behind it immediately.

And all that the magician can do, is stay put. Pretending to have no voice and meekly keep her gaze lowered in the suffocating warm, rundown shop. Beads of sweat start to glitter against her forehead and she bites down on her tongue.

Sphynx's nose twitches together with his ears. He lays his head in the human woman's arms but does not lower his guard. He knows the old mage can sense the gathering magic around him.

When the mage is done with talking, she reaches out into her cape and pulls out a small pouch. From Parsley's point of view, it looks very small and can barely hold in a few rocks. Still, the man behind the poorly made counter seems to brighten up upon seeing the small pouch and takes it carefully like it's a precious porcelain piece. In exchange, he pushes another pouch towards the older woman and she takes it without a word.

 _What are they…?_ Parsley nearly tilts her head, but stiffens, when the old woman turns around and starts walking towards her.

 _Let's go,_ is what she seems to be saying, when she walks past the young magician. Parsley follows her without hesitation.

* * *

When they walk through the town again, the mage is silent. And even when the trio makes their way through the thick forest, nobody speaks. It isn't until they reach the house hidden deep within the magical woods that some of the tension lifts up. It is barely noticeable change, but becomes clearer, when the old woman sets down her stuff on table and turns to look at the magician who is in the middle of taking off her large coat.

Parsley freezes a little, when she notices that green eyes are holding her in their range. The rough coat almost slips off from her fingers, but she manages to put it on top of a nearby chair.

Sphynx keeps a watch on the situation from the ground, ears flicking back and forth. His eyes do the same between his owner and the mage in a curious manner.

"Where is yar mark?"

"…Pardon?" Parsley frowns after a while and tilts her head in confusion.

The old mage rolls her eyes. "The mark – Oh, forget it! I will find it myself."

Before the young woman or her feline familiar can understand what is happening, Parsley's shirt is lifted high up in the air. It covers her vision, but she doesn't need eyes to feel how the slightly cooler air touches the area of her stomach's skin. Goosebumps spread before she can even think.

Parsley feels cold from multiple reasons. Her shirt is all up and even over her chest – the fact makes her mind shut down for a second – and the wrinkly hand gripping the fabric doesn't seem to be ready to let go of it any time soon.

Her face twitches for a second, turns white and red, but then she starts struggling. Through the shirt, her muffled shouts are heard: "W-what are you doing!?"

"Stay put, would ya!" The mage snarls – actually snarls – and her hold doesn't loosen no matter how much Parsley is struggling. "I need to find it. Hey, cat! They still put _those_ around the chest?"

"What are you talking about?" Sphynx drawls out slowly, but then pauses.

Parsley also pauses with her struggling, when she hears no further reply from her friend. And frankly, it is slightly irritating. Can't he see how uncomfortable and embarrassing this is? Not to mention the old woman hasn't explained what she is doing. Also, she has found out that despite looking old and frail, the mage has one tight grip and the shirt is already starting to slightly suffocate the magician.

"Oh," the cat finally lets out. "You mean the M-COP? I believe it was placed on Parsley's lower back."

The said woman wants to whirl around and look at her cat in confusion and annoyance. She gets her wish rather soon and the shirt is lowered. However, she is turned around by the old woman with her strong grip on the shoulder the back of the shirt is lifted instead. "Wha-!?"

"Ha! Found it!" A dry hand is placed on top of the skin and Parsley freezes in horror. "Stay still!"

Parsley is doing the exact opposite and tries to scratch the hands holding her. "S-stop it! Let me go!"

"Cat! Tell yar missy to calm down!"

"Sphynx! Help!"

Instead sounding worried or concerned for her wellbeing, the familiar simply replies calmly right in front of his mistress: "Calm down. She isn't going to hurt you."

She feels betrayed and doesn't believe what she is hearing. "Sphynx! This isn't funny! What is she doing!? Help me! Help-"

Her breath stops flowing into her lungs the moment a sharp pain slides up and down her spine. The cries of pain stop and for a few seconds there is silence in the whole house.

Hazel eyes widen in shock and the abrupt heat spreading across every corner of Parsley's body. The skin starts to burn, awfully so, but the worst part comes from where the mage's hand is propably staying at. Waves of warm and cold are pulsing from there, but most of all there is this sharp pain that creaks every bone near the area. One second it is like fire tries to enter the veins flowing with blood, then it changes into ice from the fear Parsley experience, and then the cycle is repeated… Though, in the end, the fire wins, and she opens her mouth wide, letting out a scream that strains her throat.

Her trashing doesn't cease, but it does become less violent. There is numbness spreading from where the pain is originating from and it goes all the way to her limbs and towards her head. Though, a loud prayer in her mind wishes for the numbness to take away the pain – it doesn't.

The world swirls in Parsley's eyes and through haziness and ringing in her ears, she can tell that she has fallen down to the floor. She thinks she is seeing Sphynx appear before her for a moment but can't really tell. She has to close her tearstained eyes tightly and continue screaming and beg for the pain to go away.

This reminds her of the time, when she used the transportation spell accidentally. That time had been worse than this – the sensations are more the slightly different – but the young magician doesn't wish to experience this. It is like she is dying in fire, if that is how she can explain it properly enough. She can't breathe properly, for it feels like there comes another wave of pain every time she does.

 _Why?_ The question manages to enter her mind in the middle of the torturing session. _Why do these things keep on happening to me?_

The numbness has spread to her head, but she can still think and feel a hand pushing it down. Her hazel eyes beg for anything to help her through the blurry vision.

And miraculously, she can hear Sphynx's voice. "Parsley! It is over! You are in no danger!"

 _What does he mean?_ Parsley is still screaming; her throat is hurting; she feels cold… However, those are the only painful sensations she is getting now. Everything comes together very slowly, so slowly in fact that a minute or two might have already passed, when Parsley tries to sit up.

There is no burning whatsoever and the hand that had been on her back is gone. Parsley blinks and the cat causes the remaining, frozen tears to slide down her cheeks. _It… it is over?_

She inhales, loudly, shakily and the sound is enough to make the young woman snap out of it. The first thing she notices or feels is Sphynx and how he has both of his paws resting on her thighs. His golden eyes peer up at her hazel ones.

She knows that there is concern plastered on his small furry face – it is obvious. But, it does not wipe away the fact that he just allowed for the mage to… nearly burn her alive. Hazel eyes narrow down at him, instead of being relieved. And then turn to look back to see the mage wipe some imaginary dust off of herself. The sight of it makes Parsley's stomach turn.

"W-what d-did you do?" She wheezes out and winces from hearing how rough her voice sounds. Not to mention it burns from her screaming.

"Just removed an obstacle."

Parsley blinks, processing the words for a second, before pushing Sphynx off and standing up. Though, she nearly falls, when her vision starts to blur. "An… an obstacle? Ha!" She laughs, void of any sort of humor. "What kind of obstacle did you have to remove so painfully!?"

"Oh, grow up, will ya?" The mage replies, looking slightly peeved that Parsley is raising her voice at her. She points a single, wrinkled finger at her face. "Listen here! That spell on yar back was just in the way and I needed to remove it. But because I am not holding any piece of its caster's formula, I simply ripped it off."

 _Ripped off!?_ Panicking, the magician reaches back under her shirt and tries to feel her skin as carefully as possible. It is tender, but smooth and doesn't seem to have any lasting damages to it, but…

"Why did you remove the M-COP!?" She nearly shrieks, fully realizing what has happened and understanding the words she has just heard. "I need it! Give it back! I will die without it!"

A white eyebrow raises in amusement. "Die? Bah! What has that magic health counseling told ya people back in our world? Don't tell me they still," her words stop and a frown mars and deepens the wrinkles on her face. She looks anything but amused now. "Who am I kidding? Of course, they still feed those lies to ya all."

Parsley has had enough and grabs her by the shoulders. She starts shaking her. "What are you talking about!? Why did you remove my mark!? I knew you were dangerous! Are you trying to kill us!? Give it back!"

"Shut up!" In a second, the old woman has ripped herself away from the hysterically younger one and another second later she waves her staff in front of Parsley few times.

The magician finds herself stiff. It is the same sensation from this morning and sends bitterness throughout her mouth. The mage has casted her spell on her and the fact does cool her riled up nerves with fear. She may have crossed a line.

"I couldn't care a hell lot less what yar feelings are about this," her words are laced with poisonous growl. "Understand this: M-COP does nothing more than conceals magicians' true potential. That is why it was invented in the first place – to keep all of us in check!"

"You make no sense," Parsley almost whispers and then glares, but is still not able to move. She sees the mage's fingers twitch, and the invisible force around her tightens. But she doesn't shut up. "Why would anyone lie about this? The one who is lying is clearly you! Every magician is given this since the moment they are born and that is how we have been able to survive! The magic of the world will otherwise destroy us! We will crumble into a pile of stones, if we use magic without it! So please! Give it back to me!"

"Ya accuse me and ask for my help?" The old woman asks in disbelief and laughs coldly. "What utter nonsense! Ya truly are a naïve sheep ready to be eaten by wolves! Ha!"

Parsley tries to turn her head but is incapable of doing that. "Sphynx! Help me!"

"Stay out of this furball!" The mage snaps and turns her attention back to the young woman with a glare. "If she doesn't hear this and understand, then I might as well lock her into a room and force her to understand."

"Sphynx! Help!"

"Shut it!" As if the words are the only thing the old woman needs, Parsley's mouth clamps shut. Her lips are sealed, literally. She can't open them anymore and her eyes widen in terror which seems to please the mage greatly. "Good. Be a good little lass and stay that way. Yar constant screaming and whining will make me deaf, soon!" The staff is hit against the ground loudly to prove a point. The whole house is silent, deadly so, as its owner starts speaking again. "I once, too, had the M-COP mark. It was removed a long time ago, and I still haven't turned into stone, have I? That is because what the government of the Magic World has told is utter hogwash."

Parsley doesn't want to listen to this nonsense, but she can't say anything or even cover her ears. She can only listen helplessly what she is saying and take every word like a blow to the gut. She has never heard anyone saying such accuses towards the very thing that has kept the magic flowing in the world. It is outrageous! It is even more such because Sphynx has not uttered a word of disagreement. Parsley wishes to scream at him. _What is he thinking!?_

"Just accept the facts, _Parsley_ ," her name sounds so wrong coming out of the old woman's mouth. Come to think of it, isn't this the first time that she has used her name?

"Ya have been told nothing but lies yar whole life."


	8. Chapter 7: Running into wolves

_Chapter 7_

 _Running into wolves_

* * *

If she could move or speak up her mind, she would have done that within twenty seconds. Parsley is angry – mildly so. She is also confused of how to approach any of her current problems. The old mage's words make it hard to think with your own brains.

 _Sphynx,_ in her mind, Parsley calls for her friend, who seems to have abandoned her. He is still in the same hallway between the front door and the kitchen, but he hasn't said anything yet. She can only wonder why.

"M-COP; Magical Concealer of Protection. During my time back in our world, I was led to believe that it was for everyone's own safety to have one on their person. It didn't matter, if someone didn't want to have a mark on them, for they would gladly accept this one. It is a human nature to survive, after all. Nobody wanted to die in the most painful way possible – neither did I. So, I sucked on every lie they had, but that is exactly what our government wanted at the very beginning of our history. Despite the marks preventing us from using easier ways to wield magic, everyone used their own magic from within. But, as a result, many could have lost their lives doing that and magician became a less favorable profession. Over the years, many refused to become one, knowing what risks they would need to face. Tell me cat, how many magicians are left in the world?"

"From the whole population of the Magic and human world, there are only twenty-five-point seventy-nine percent," is the immediate, accurate answer.

Parsley feels immediate sense of further betrayal and wants to bite her tongue in frustration. She doesn't understand how her friend can be so accepting about all of this. These lies are making her stomach hurt and she nearly wants to cry out helplessly. She is so afraid. The skin on her lower back is tender with the brush of the dress's shirt part brushing against it – it serves as a reminder what previously had been there.

The mage continues speaking after a pause. "Hmph! When I left, it was higher. Around forty-seven percent, I think? Anyway, as I was saying, the mark does nothing, but block magician's connection with nature itself. As you probably know from history, people with magical abilities were once connected with all the forest folk in the world. But eventually, that too was put aside. The spell was planned to root itself deeply inside newborns magic-core and block any kind of ability to use the magical energy that anyone could get from the air. That way, peace could be maintained."

 _Peace? What is she talking about?_

"I can see from ya expression that ya don't get it. Well, nobody who still knows about this is allowed to teach it to the newest generation – Back in the eighteenth century, the world was in chaos. Witch hunts were ending, but that didn't wipe away the anger our kin held for the ordinary folk. So many were lost during those times. So-called "witches" were burned, tortured and looked down upon by everyone. They were feared, rightfully so. Who could even understand magic, when many didn't even possess such powers! Even back then the number of magicians was so small, that our numbers could have shrank in a matter of few years! That is exactly when the fear that our kin had held turned into anger. So much hate was spread amongst the magicians, that many started to come out of hiding and harm others. Though, it is easy to guess what the end result was – another annihilation occurred. This time, though, magicians were the ones leading it. But, ya know what separates the magicians from yar time and yar ancestors?"

There is a dramatic pause and Parsley's stomach drops. She doesn't like where this talk is going. The old mage woman is smiling lightly, but it is a mean one. She seems to like seeing the young woman look uncomfortable while still under her spell and unable to speak and move.

"Yar ancestors were all mages," she says it lightly, but sees something flash in the hazel eyes and her smirk widens. She has definitely said something, that riles Parsley up. "Down to the tips of their toes, they were all mages and more connected with magic than mere magicians could ever be. They didn't have any limitations back then! None! That is why some higherups became so worried about their people. The mages went out into the world; killed hundreds of normal folk all around the place with their powers; tore down villages and towns one after another. It was a time period that was so gruesome in our history, that it was erased – for what would happen in the magician society, if everyone were to find out they could be more powerful without risking their lives? Chaos, terrorism, wars, destruction, all of those will be the result. That is what happened back then and that is why M-COP was invented. To make us fear magic – something that we should be proud of – and to make sure our numbers will be lessened and kept in check."

As soon as she is finished talking, the spell around Parsley is broken and she nearly stumbles down to the ground. Her heartbeat has risen and is currently drumming her eardrums at tremendous pace. Sweat covers her hands that she balls into tight fists along with the rest of her body. It feels very strange but relieving to have the control of her own body back. Though, it does nothing to wipe away her unease, instead, she feels more like a trapped mouse than a winner.

Shakily, Parsley looks up into green eyes and swallows thickly. Before directing her gaze down to the feline on the ground. Sphynx looks between the two women but noticing his owner's attention is on him he focuses only on her. She is certain he can sense her distress and read the silent question in her eyes. _Why didn't you help me?_

Gritting her teeth together, she tears her eyes away from the cat and looks at the mage. "You are lying."

Parsley isn't sure, what the old woman had been expecting her reaction to be like. But whatever it had been, it is definitely crushed, and wrinkly hands rise up in exasperation. "For God's sake! How much of a stubborn lass are ya!? I have done my research! Have I wasted my breath for naught!?"

Parsley almost takes a step back, when she receives the angry tone. _Is she going to freeze me again?_ The mage looks slightly tired and irritated and slams her staff against the ground to prove a point. She is acting like she has any right to be the angry one in this situation and it irks Parsley. First, she hears these ridiculous stories of history and now she has to listen while being yelled at?

Being dragged around an unfamiliar town, getting a mark forcefully ripped off and then being under a spell more than once are starting to take their toll on her poor nerves.

"I didn't ask for a history lesson nor to get my M-COP removed! How – how could you do that!?"

"What is with yar tone, lass? Parents never taught ya how to speak to an elder?"

"I never asked to get it off! I can't use magic without it!" Parsley runs her sweaty hands through her hair wildly, eyes flying across the floor. She feels restless and starts pacing in the hallway without caring about the mage who is obviously watching. "Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh! I-I am going to die! I am going to die in here! Sphynx!" She turns to glare at her familiar through tear blurred eyes. "Why didn't you stop her!? She is g-going to kill me!"

He flinches by the sheer volume of her panic filled voice. The words of accuse, though, probably hurt more. "She isn't going to harm us, Parsley. I have already told you."

"How can you say that!? Did – Were you even listening a word she said? This is stupid! The government of the Magic World would not do something like this! And we are supposed to focus on getting back home and not this gibberish! Do you have any idea what mother and father might be thinking right now? They might think we are kidnapped or dead somewhere! This place is scary enough and I want to go home! Can't you understand that!?"

 _Thump!_

"Ah!" Sharp pain on top of the head makes Parsley jolt and reach out to rub the sore spot. It aches and is tender under the soft touch.

However, when she looks up, she wishes she had not done something so stupid. Right in front of her, the mage is glaring at her harshly, staff raised threateningly. "Are ya even listening what ya are saying, lass? The one who should understand things around here is ya and only ya. Only crying and complaining… Sure ya will be dead as a rock on the ground, if ya continue acting like a small infant! Whining and blaming yar cat who ya should trust _more_ than anyone, when he has done his everything to keep ya safe. That is what his kind are for, but it is clear that ya are too thickskulled to realize it."

The anger Parsley feels dims from the icy cold tone. Her shoulders get stiffer from every word, hitting her like a boulder – like they are supposed to make her feel guilty or apologetic for something. They do have their impact, alright. The young woman feels even younger, back to the time when her mother scolded her smaller self from breaking something with magic.

Of course, slowly – very slowly – Parsley realizes what she has said and glances down at her cat. He is staring up at her like any normal cat would, not revealing emotions. She hates to admit it, but she has crossed a line. Sphynx really does get how bad their situation is. Parsley is simply the only one out of the two of them who has been panicking every chance she has gotten. Sphynx has never truly wanted to hurt her – expect a day or two ago, when he scratched her leg.

However, she doesn't get to think further past incomprehension, when the old woman limps past her. But before she can get too far away, the mage pushes a book harshly against Parsley's chest. It appears out of nowhere, so the air escapes from her lungs from both surprise and the impact.

"Study this and try out the first two spells tomorrow morning," are the only instructions she gives, before retiring into the safety of her own room.

Parsley is left standing motionless with Sphynx right by her side. She looks down at the book in her hands after a few seconds have passed and her eyes widen from the title – "Spells for beginners".

* * *

"Parsley are you alright?" Sphynx asks, but cringes once he realizes that might not have been the best question to ask from her.

The twitch is obvious from the corner of her hazel eyes, and yet, she doesn't look at him. Her attention is solely focused on the open page before her, though, her eyelids are starting to get too heavy. It is night already, but she is still up with candle lights brightening up the text. It feels so strange to use them, because usually there is a lamp on her desk back at home. _And electricity, tv, computer…_ Parsley almost lets out a sigh from the thought of the comforts. It seems this place is entirely run by magic and nothing close to modern time technology.

The thought of those objects back at the apartment start to make Parsley's eyes sting. She rubs them and tries to focus back on the task at hand. She can sleep after finishing the second chapter.

She starts rubbing the area between her brows in concentration and frustration. The words look like they are mixing together and the tenseness on her shoulders remind Parsley of the time when she was reading to the exams. It had been a hell. But, now she is – in a way – doing it all again. In even worse conditions as well.

 _I must do this!_ She bites down on her lower lip, for the hundredth time. The slight taste of iron and stinging on the side tells that there is a cut on it already. Her head has already started hurting from the amount of thinking, reading and trying to remember formulas and commands. Not to mention the emotional drain she has experienced a lot. _I have to learn, I must to get out of here. Obeying that old lady seems to be the only option I have._

Though, her stomach twitches from the thought of actually trying any of these spells tomorrow. Many things could go wrong – she is currently thinking about those ways where she will end up as a corpse. If Sphynx wasn't in the same room, she would try to feel where the M-COP used to be and look through a mirror at it. She doesn't trust the mage enough to feel reassured that she won't die. How could she? When all this time she has been told something different.

The chapter is nearly finished, but Parsley finds herself drifting deeper into her own thoughts rather than into the text. _She is lying. It is all to confuse me… But, could it be true, after all? Is the mark really why we can't push ourselves over the limits?_

Not wanting to ponder this alone anymore, she opens her mouth. "Sphynx, do you think what she said is true?"

He perks up from finally being spoken to. "I think she has been honest with us this whole time."

"How can you be so sure?" She closes the book and blows out the candles. The room turns dark immediately, but the light of the moonlight comes through the window and lightens up the whole place. "And… how could you let her rip my mark off?"

She doesn't feel angry anymore. Although, slightly irritated and hurt, Parsley remains calm and walks towards the bed with slow pace. She feels extremely tired all of sudden.

"I didn't know that she was going to do it," Sphynx admits and follows her. His own steps are much quieter, despite using four limbs – two more than what she has – to walk.

 _He isn't going to apologize._ It is a statement, one that doesn't bother Parsley as much as she thought it would. In fact, a small voice keeps telling him to get angry at her. She is the one who should bow down and beg for forgiveness in this situation after all. She is the one who yelled and doubted her familiar and close friend – not him.

"I am sorry," is what she says, as soon as she lays down to the bed and Sphynx jumps next to her. His large eyes turn towards her and golden orbs glow in the dark. "For doubting you. You have helped me so much and I have been… like…"

"Like a spoiled brat?" He asks bluntly, and she winces. He doesn't say it with humor, so it means that he is slightly displeased. However, he soon cuddles closer and settles his head near her neck.

Parsley relaxes, feeling the cold wet nose touch the skin there lightly with whiskers. Her right hand reaches out and curls around the cat gently. This is how they mostly sleep, in each other's company like from the time, when they were both very young. Though, back then Parsley slept more restlessly than nowadays and even kicked him off many times. As a result, he had to use sleeping spells to make her cease moving sometimes. The memory brings a fond smile to her lips and she hugs him closer. In return, he lets her, despite not being cat who enjoys hugging.

 _I have to… do something._ She closes her eyes tiredly and relaxes against the soft covers and pillows. Tomorrow, she has to give it her all. _But I am so scared._

"You are forgiven," Sphynx mutters while yawning and then shifts a little, before relaxing again.

Parsley doesn't dare to tighten her hold for the second time – that would crush her cat – but wishes she could. And if she wasn't currently so tired, then she would let a faint smile curve her lips up.

However, the night would not be peaceful one – none of the very few nights in this house have been so far. No doubt Sphynx would need to wake up for another nightly terrors.

* * *

 _She is back in that dark room. People wearing black coats are all surrounding her and form a half-circle at the same time. However, Parsley doesn't look up and keeps her gaze at their feet._

 _The curtains of her hair shade the bruises across the cheeks and bare neck which throb warmly. Parsley pants, sweat and tears fall down to the dirty ground under her tie-up feet. The ropes feel like they are starting to tighten around her form, successfully squeezing the air out and making the bones groan painfully under the pressure. She can still breathe, but the air gets hotter from tension with each second. And the figures around her seem like they are getting closer as well._

 _All at once, panic strikes, but Parsley's entire body feels numb. Her movements are sluggish, no matter how much she tries to trash around. The ropes do not ease their hold but tighten instead. If possible, Parsley thinks they are starting to sink down into her skin – they would soon reach the bone. She closes her eyes and opens them again like it could be any help._ _ **This is a dream.**_

 _A knife shines ominously in the dark and many others soon join it. The amount of the people increases and by now they look like enormous shadows looming over the shaking woman._

 _She can't struggle anymore and only starts to shake her head. "N-no! Stop! L-let me go!"_

" _Parsley," in the dark – between the dark forms of the cloaks – Sphynx appears. His eyes are like two bright gold coins and both orbs stare straight at her._

 _In turn from receiving such a call, Parsley's hazel eyes widen, and she opens her mouth wide._

 _ **Why is he here!?**_ _Couldn't he see the danger before him? These people are pointing knives at her and he will be next!_

 _As if sensing what her worst fear and worry was, the figures do exactly that and disband from around her. It is like watching dark smoke cloud being moved by the wind, and Parsley's heart screams for that wind to start blowing towards the opposite direction from where it is now._

" _Sphynx! Run!"_

 _She can feel that same fear that she felt during the first hours – maybe even days – in this room. Watching and being helpless to stop the torture she went through. The memories are twisting the reality and soon there is that same wooden table before her. It is piled with iron rods and knives._

 _Now, more anxious than before, Parsley looks up from the mass of violent objects towards Sphynx. He has not moved yet and does not look like he will any time soon. His whole composure stays calm, even as the shadows keep on approaching._

 _Sphynx, a cat who can sense the hidden intents and smell every small scent on a person, does_ _ **not**_ _sense the danger._

 _The snake-like ropes are starting to drag Parsley down. It doesn't feel like she is sitting on a chair anymore, but she still has a clear view across the table's surface and its weapons to her motionless friend. He just keeps_ _ **staring**_ _at her._

 _Like the ropes want to give her a chance, the young woman's right hand manages to tear itself away from their reach and reach out towards the cat. One pointy ear does a twitch from the gesture, but that is all there is to it._

" _Sphynx!"_

 _He tilts his head and flicks his tail. "What are you sitting there for?"_

 _ **No! What are**_ _ **you**_ _ **sitting there for!?**_

 _She is about to scream for him again but is stopped. Not from seeing him being attacked, but from feeling sharp tips lunge into the deepest parts of her muscles and all the way to the bone. The knives have made their way to her without the young woman even noticing._

 _Sphynx is gone, though Parsley can't see through tightly closed eyelids. She screams, instead and feels blood pooling out of her body._ _ **iT hUrTs.**_ _Metallic scent overwhelms her senses and the next thing Parsley knows, is that more knifes are pointed at her face._ _ **pAiN. bLoOd. PaIn. BlOoD. pAiN. bLoOd.**_

 _The faces – both masked and unmasked ones – of those who had tormented her, literally appear at every second Parsley lets out a scream._

 _The harsh rod of iron starts to hit her. Pain blossoms on every part of her body as she keeps staring up at the familiar and terrifyingly blank faces._

* * *

"Eeeeep!" Parsley is sent back by a strong blow and falls onto her back. The hard ground collides with her head as well, making stars dance across her vision painfully brightly. Her heart – which almost jumped out of the ribcage from the blast – drums inside her ears for a while, even when she is starting to get up and look at the damage.

Her hazel eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets, when they inspect what was once a desk and a glass bowl is now pieces of broken planks and shards of glass on the ground. Luckily, she is outside and not inside the house. If she had tried this between four walls, no doubt some of the furniture would have been broken. Splatters of water have soaked both the grass and wood.

 _I… I didn't die._ She looks down at herself for confirmation. Sure enough, she has not changed in any way and somehow the fact sends a jolt of disappointment throughout her shaken and aching body. What she had been expecting didn't happen and it has left a bitter taste into her mouth. All those words that the old woman had said yesterday come back and Parsley fights an urge to look at her. _She spoke the truth._ Her stomach twists uncomfortably from the inner statement. But then she frowns, visibly showing her dislike towards the very thought. _No. It doesn't mean that it is the fault of the M-COP. Maybe she didn't rip it off and only decided to scare me?_ That must be it, considering how she has now failed to form a spell.

From somewhere behind, the young woman can feel the gazes of the mage and her cat boring into the scene before them. It isn't like this is the first time that she has messed up a spell, but heat gathers into her cheeks, and she lowers her gaze in embarrassment.

"How on earth did ya manage to make an explosion out of water?" The mage finally asks after an awkward silence.

Parsley looks between the destruction and her hands meekly. "I… I don't know."

Sphynx hurries next to her and leans closer. "Kind of like back in your seventh grade."

Her face turns even redder, if possible. She feels uncomfortable twitch in the bottom of her stomach from the memory and hisses: "Don't bring it up with _her_ around!"

Obviously not hearing a thing they have said; the said woman starts speaking again. "When ya use water element in yar magic, to cause an explosion it should require packing up a lot of heat magic as well… Seriously, yar mark is destroyed and all, but – Wait. Maybe ya remembered the orders wrong?"

Her words start to be meant more to herself than to Parsley who would rather close off her hearing. This reminds her all too much of the days, when she had to stay with one of the teachers after the rest of the class was dismissed. Of course, they began as talks of concern, but always ended up with them suggesting that she would quit using magic. Those words had been blows of shame and they nearly crushed her entirely. And even now, the mage is about to repeat the same pattern repeatedly.

 _I don't want this anymore._ Hazel eyes become glassier and tears sting them. Parsley bites her tongue and starts to stand up shakily, a wave of dizziness making her movements sluggish. Some small part of her really wished that the M-COP could have been the reason to all of her failures, but now she has proven to be a lost case. _I shouldn't have raised my hopes._ Because this is what she has always gotten. Deep painful disappointment. What made her think that this one would be any different anyway? _Stupid._

Her hands sting – the fall had caused the ground to scrape them. She looks down to see small patches of old skin up and newer ones showing. Luckily, there is no blood. Though, she thinks she would deserve that for trying to even believe achieving something today. Not to mention she performed the spell knowing well enough that there was a risk of dying – she is so desperate that it is pathetic. _Wow. Since when have I been this negative?_

"Hey, lass. Try again."

She frowns and crosses her arms, but then almost wobbles to the side. The spell must have taken more energy than she thought. "B-but… the table is destroyed."

"Tch! Excuses," the old woman mutters under her breath and waves her wand once.

In a blink of an eye, the wood starts to gather up together with the glass and mix together. The mass takes a shape, twirling and twisting in the air as a transparent and brown liquid, but then starts to form the outline of a square. The firm surface of the table that was few minutes ago destroyed into pieces is becoming visible and lowers itself to the ground together with the clear glass bowl.

Parsley stares and stares some more. Honestly, she had hoped her excuse would have been enough, but she almost forgot that there is another person capable enough to use magic better than she in the area.

"Now, do it again. And don't ya dare to channel yar inner magic into it! Use the magic that courses around ya – For goodness sake, yar face is white and blue. How much of yar magic did ya use?"

She frowns, but then decides to sit back down. It helps slightly to ease the dizziness, but other than that she is starting to realize how weak she truly feels. "I… I d-don't know. A half, maybe?"

"Definitely more!" The old woman all but yells and marches to her with brisk pace. Her hand slams down to her shoulder and starts shaking it a little too roughly. The sudden and unfamiliar contact makes Parsley stiffen, but the owner of the hand isn't noticing it. "As soon as ya can stand up, do it again. And don't ya dare come back inside until ya have got it!"

"W-what!?" Bewildered, Parsley's jaw goes up and down, but nothing else comes out. She hadn't really expected to get this kind of order and it honestly terrifies her. _I-is she serious?_

"If ya get hungry or tired," the mage shrugs, "tough luck."

Sphynx walks to her, as soon as she heads for the house. "Isn't that a bit too much? Her health-"

"Would improve, if she quit being so picky about the food!" Green eyes whirl around to see the amber-brown haired woman flinch. The words were said loudly on purpose. "I make ya two a healthy breakfast with enough nutrition to stablish your starved state, but what do ya do? Take a bite out of an apple and leave it at that! Bah! I am going to bed, but don't let me catch ya slacking! If the table gets destroyed again, then fix it yourself."

"W-wait!" The magician reaches out, but the only answer she gets to her plea is a door closing shut. The sound echoes in the vast environment and sounds hollow to Parsley's ears. She remains on the ground, stiff and staring at the wooden door like it would open any time soon.

Although, wishing for this to be a nightmare is simply her own wishful thinking once again. Still, her limbs feel paralyzed and heavy from both shock and the loss of magical energy. _She… she is serious? I have to stay out – outside until I can do it?_

Almost fearfully that her hearing is right, Parsley slowly turns to look at Sphynx. He probably can sense the uneasy air and turns his own head at the same time she does. Their eyes lock, and for a moment they send silent messages to each other.

"We have to stay out here?"

"Unless you can do the spell, it seems so," as soon as those words come out of the feline's mouth, his owner covers her face.

Parsley feels like ready to cry. "We will be here all night."

"Now, now. Let's not get negative," the cat scolds playfully and starts to groom himself without a care.

Weakly, the human looks at the feline again. "How can you be so relaxed – Oh, never mind." She finishes lamely and averts her gaze. _He has always been like this._

Parsley stays sitting on the ground, occasionally drifting her gaze off from the table to the environment around her cautiously. She recalls the face of the young boy who had shown her the way back here and her muscles tense from the thought of him stepping out between the trees. He could be watching them at this very moment, for all she knows. No doubt he would be amused by the sight of her creating an explosion and falling down to her rear, as well. Really, Parsley wouldn't be surprised, if that little boy is watching. This whole forest has already proven to be the strangest place possible. Though, it had been less so, when the mage had been leading the way through it to the town and back. _No doubt about it. She probably controls this place._

Slowly, but surely, the strength starts to return into her. The dizziness is completely gone, but there is still that hint of faint weakness coming from her muscles. She should try and stand up now… if she wanted that is. Parsley would rather spend her day on the ground, than get blown away repeatedly. The mage had even dared to suggest using the same method her kind did with magic and the magician could not even bare to step down to such a level. Taking magic from nature is forbidden by the law. There is no way she will become a criminal, another world or not!

The sun is shining and suddenly a weight lands on her shoulder. She cracks her eyes open – she doesn't recall when she had closed them – and stares at the slit golden eyes.

"Rise and shine. You have rested enough," he states, ears twitching. "Like she said, remember to use the magic _around_ you this time."

Parsley frowns. "Are you serious? Do you want me to break the law?"

"Law has deceived us," he says boldly and narrows his eyes. "It is nothing more than a leash to keep magicians in order."

Parsley resists an urge to roll her eyes from his poetry words. "Do _not_ tell me that you believed everything that woman said," it isn't a question and it isn't said lightly.

He doesn't seem bothered by her tone. "She told us the truth."

Parsley's frown deepens. "And how could you tell, whether a person is lying or not?"

"You know how great of a judge-of-a-character I am."

She purses her lips in annoyance and looks away from the cat's intense gaze. She knows as well as he does how true that is. Though, like a child, Parsley denies it silently in her mind. From the beginning, it was easy to see that the old mage is trustworthy, but the young woman keeps on denying it. She doesn't like to admit it, but the moment she had been touched by her earlier, a cold chill had gone down her spine. The thin fingers had been skeleton-like.

"But, even if I can do the spell, what then?" She finally asks and kicks some grass in frustration. "What good would learning this do?"

"We could go out to the world by ourselves."

Parsley huffs and shakes her head. However, deep inside, cold ice has started to spread from her heart to the lungs. "No. I am not going out there… Not after what we went through."

"We would be safe, if we had more power," Sphynx says, full of confidence. "You do not expect us to find out the ones – or whatever it had been – that brought us here?"

She bites down on her tongue and closes her eyes tiredly. "I just…"

' _I just' what? I just want to go home? To get out of this house? To have even one night of peaceful sleep?_ The bags under her eyes feel like they throb. They are the marks of the nights she has been trying to get a wink of sleep. She reaches out with her left hand and rubs them tiredly.

"I just want to…" she pauses again and glances at Sphynx. He is looking back patiently, which is kind of reassuring. "I guess going home would be the best option. But… How exactly are we going to explain my missing M-COP? And what about my sudden disappearance to my parents or even the police? Nobody is going to believe us! And I still haven't decided what kind of career I want after this – I mean. Mama has to have some suggestions, but I doubt they will be helpful, when I haven't studied almost anything else, but magic for the past years. Not to mention I keep on waking up during the night from nightmares – we have to explain that one as well. Waking up almost screaming is not normal. Also, haven't you noticed that it is kind of weird that my grandma owned a book with a spell that brought us here? I find that very strange. Though, this **whole** situation is very strange to begin with. Also-"

"Parsley, you're blabbering," Sphynx cuts in before she can continue any further. The moment he does, he can hear Parsley stop breathing for a second. "I know that we both have many questions that need to be answered, but we should really just focus on getting back home. That is the most important thing and what we should keep as our main goal. Alright?"

She looks at him and he returns that gaze. There isn't a perfect silence surrounding the two of them, because the birds keep on chirping. But both the human and the cat don't seem to hear them. They both only have their complete focus on each other. This is a staring contest. The first one to waver will have to submit.

Parsley isn't convinced. You can easily see that from her expression – the very picture of uneasiness and stubbornness. More than that, she is startled that for a moment, she actually thought of listening to her familiar and starting to try casting a spell, again. An impossible task, that is what it is and always will be. But now they are locked out of the house – she will check that lock later – with no shelter and no further explanation from the mage. _That is the thing I need in the first place. An explanation, more reason to this absurd situation._ She doesn't even know why those weird people kept her and Sphynx as prisoners or what the mage is called. It makes Parsley wonder, if the old woman even has a name. How is she supposed to trust her, without even knowing that basic information?

The skin on the lower half of her back isn't tender anymore. Frankly, she has never even noticed the mark being there, but now that it is really gone it is like there is emptiness there. After what that mage did to it, was she supposed to trust that kind of unexpected person? She has simply **lifted** her shirt and done whatever she had wanted without telling Parsley a thing. It had scared the magician.

Also, that old woman had instructed her to perform magic with a forbidden way. Not only is that dangerous and a crime, but it could definitely do more damage. _Didn't anyone – Sphynx should have more than the mage – even noticed how badly my last attempt went with magic?_ Parsley remembers that the old woman also hadn't explained further, when she had pushed that book of spells to her. _But… I still read it… for myself and for Sphynx's sake._

Parsley bites down on her lower lip and breaks an eye contact. She could still try the spell while using her own magic. She would only need to concentrate enough and remember the steps correctly this time.

"Fine."

* * *

Sweat is starting to soak the dress's shirt. Parsley can smell her own sweat from the lack of deodorant bites down on her lip – it has started to sting. Still, she tries her best to keep her attention on the few water drops floating above her two hands. _Just a little more… Don't blow this up, again._

Carefully channeling the magic all across her arms and to her palm, Parsley bites down on her lower lip and inhales deeply. Now, she would only need to place it down to the bowl and leave it at that. She can actually do this.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hits the young magician and she falters, her balance swaying dangerously. The magic courses through her veins to the concentration on her palms and more small drops start to form out of thin air. It sends a jolt all over Parsley's body and she tenses up. Her heartbeat picks up pace and dark spots start to dance across her vision. _I… I can't._

"Parsley!"

Sphynx's voice snaps her back. The magical energy halts and her muscles turn into slack noodles. The familiar cat is by her side the minute she drops down to her knees, shoulders heaving heavily up and down. The water formed in the middle of the air comes crashing down like rain, half splattering into the glass container and the rest going over across the table and over its edges.

Hazel eyes – unfocused and blurry – raise themselves to look at the failed spell and then drop back down to their owner's lap. A very familiar heaviness settles into Parsley's chest and she lets out and equally heavy sigh. Once again, she has let her hopes get too high.

However, she manages to give out a shaky laugh and looks down at her friend with a small smile. "At least I got it into the container this time."

He nods, tail swaying. "Quick improvement."

Parsley laughs again – hearing genuine compliment from Sphynx on her magic skills lifts some of the weight – but then grimaces and lays down on her back. "Ugh! I feel sick."

"You used too much of your magic at the end of the spell," the cat states the obvious and walks closer to his owner's face, golden eyes meeting half-open hazel ones.

Parsley purses her lips and tilts her head slightly to get a better look at the furry face. "Do… do you think that _she_ will be satisfied," she gestures at the table and the splatters of water, "with this?"

Sphynx's nose twitches and he looks at the half-full bowl with criticizing eyes. "Hmm…"

"I do not like that tone," Parsley drawls out, narrowing her eyes and frowns.

"I haven't even said anything, yet."

"Yes, you have. You said 'hmm'."

"That is not even a word, Parsley."

She shrugs and mutters: "You hesitated. That is already saying something."

He can obviously hear her with his cat ears but doesn't say anything to her comment. Instead, both he and her settle on a comfortable silence and watch the result of her magic.

The real purpose of this simple water spell was to create water from thin air – in a more proper way of saying, it is a condensation spell. Parsley can recall times in her first years of magic study that this was one of the basic things she had been taught. She also recalls having some trouble with it at the beginning, but eventually got a hold of it with the assistance of her father… Though, it appears as she has already forgotten how to perform it.

Parsley looks down at her lap. Thinking back to all those lessons with her father and how patient he had been with her. A trait that she has proven to lack in many ways. She has never really understood where her father's own calmness even came from. Considering how much his youngest offspring kept on messing. According to him, Orick messed up just as much as she had back in her younger years… but at least now he has a stable job as a magician. While his sister just failed an entrance exam to one of the good universities. Honestly, the moment the rejection letter had come, parsley felt bitter, deep jealousy towards her only sibling.

And now, she misses that older brother who she forced to do dress up with her when they were little. Parsley misses Orick's quirky grin that he would throw after teasing and even the way he would ruffle her hair from time to time just to get a weird noise out of her… _I am not going to start crying. Am not, am not, am not._

"Parsley, are you alright?"

 _Curse you, Sphynx._ She sits up and forces whatever liquid is in her eyes back wherever they came from. "I miss mama and papa and Orick."

The next thing I know, the cat has placed both of his paws on my thigh and looks at me in the eyes. "It will be alright. I am here."

"I know," Parsley smiles weakly and then embraces him, bringing the feline closer. "I love you, you know that?"

He stiffens, but then relaxes, ears flattening against his head. "Yes, yes… Can I have some extra tuna when we get back home?"

"Nope."

"And you said you loved me," he mutters and then draws back. "We should probably try going inside."

Parsley nods, but then both of them freeze from a sudden laugh they hear. "Pft! Yeah, right!" It is as clear as a bell and soon it is much closer. "As if that old bat will ever give you a pass to her house with this kind of magic."

Hazel eyes widen, when they see a glowing light floating just two feet away from them. It is a form of a small girl – or a miniature woman – and one that the young magician recognizes well enough. The same pair of cold eyes blink once and it is like a trigger.

Without thinking, Parsley raises her finger and points at the fairy. "I-it's you!"

The sharp eyes narrow and the small creature flies closer, looking anything but pleased. "What is with that tone? Not even a 'thank you'?"

"O-oh, right. Sorry," Parsley stumbles, getting a strange cold chill down her spine from the small fairy's gaze. Frankly, it makes her a bit uncomfortable and she can't stop from tightening her hold on Sphynx. "Thank you, for saving us and leading us here, as well. We are both truly grateful."

"Hmph! I didn't do it for you, _human,_ " the tiny creature sneers and then looks down at the cat in Parsley's arms. The message is clear. "But, on a serious note, you can't seriously expect that she will accept this level of magic with this kind of results."

"She did say that I will need to get the spell done… And I did," Parsley finishes lamely and sends a doubting look towards the table. _Who am I kidding? I almost blew it all up again, literally._

The fairy has obviously seen the look the human has on and snorts. "I can't believe that someone like you even tries to use magic."

 _That_ sends a sting like no other across Parsley's heart. There is a distant echo in her mind, reminding her of the words she is used to hearing all of her life. She already knows what kind of hopeless case she is. But, why does everyone keep on rubbing big chunks of salt into her wounds like it is nothing? Even this fairy – who has shown clear dislike towards humans and even a magician – acknowledges it so openly.

However, it is only because she is so used to hearing things like this, that Parsley doesn't react. She merely keeps her mouth firmly shut and averts her gaze awkwardly. She can't believe that she is receiving this kind of mockery from a fairy, a "mythical" creature.

Taking in a calming breath, Parsley thinks her next words carefully. Actually, she is surprised that Sphynx hasn't snapped at the small fairy, yet. It didn't look like he would like anyone with an attitude like hers. When his owner glances down at him, she sees that he is merely gazing to the side, looking somewhat bored. Though, she can feel how his nails are flexing under his paws that are against her legs. _Huh. So, he does dislike her, then._ That brought a small relief to Parsley, but she also feels a bit confused. She thought that he would be ecstatic to have another magical creature beside him around the area. _She must have done something to piss him off at one point._

"Well, I don't really have any other options, do I?" She finally asks. "I mean… If I want to find a way back, I should be at least able to protect myself. That is at least what the mage told me."

The fairy snorts again, sounding cynical while talking afterwards. "No other options? You humans certainly give up easily. Though, that is not surprising," the fairy shrugs and flies back a foot. "After all, you place curses on one another, suppress your powers and use other means to lower others to your will. It is no wonder that you were manipulated by your kin throughout your life."

"You were eavesdropping on our conversation," Sphynx hisses and Parsley stiffens. His claws are actually starting to hurt, and she doesn't like his tone or the way his fur poofs. He is clearly ready to snap.

The fairy returns his heated glare with a cooler one. "This is my forest, _our_ home, we can be anywhere and hear everything. Though, I would prefer not to hear about humans more than necessary. First, we have one in our midst and now another one who can't even wield magic properly," she spits the last words out, eyes darting to Parsley for a second, before back to the cat. "Are you certain that you do not wish to leave this-"

"If I did, I would have done so ages ago," Sphynx cuts her off. "Now, why don't you take your leave and let us continue my _master's_ -"

Parsley almost blanches from that. He has never once called her like that. It makes her gut twitch uneasily and she looks down at her friend with obvious wide eyes.

"-training," he finishes and then jumps off from the human's lap. Parsley is still watching him, stupefied. "What are you even doing here to begin with? I thought you disliked the old mage."

"Hmph! Of course, I do!" The fairy says haughtily and crosses her arms across her small chest. It is somewhat of a cute side, if you ignore her crude tone and steely gaze. "However, it is impossible to stay away, when there is a human causing an uproar in the heart of our home. Even the young ones of my kin know how to create water."

The magician takes that as an insult. Though, she knows the fairy has been doing nothing but talked bitterly all the time she has spoken to them. It is clear why and who she finds so irritating to even start such a conversation. Parsley starts to feel quite uncomfortable in this magical creature's presence, now. It is like she is doing everything wrong, starting from the very fact that she is even breathing.

"Honestly," the fairy shakes her head, long locks moving softly around her from the movement, "do humans teach their offspring so poorly, that they can't even use magic properly anymore? Well, it is no wonder."

She stiffens. Parsley can't stop her mind turning blank for a second from hearing the fairy's words. The images of her own mother and father flash in her eyes and her fists start to unconsciously tighten into fists. Even Sphynx has started to flex his claws again. Still, the human magician is not sure, if he understands what she is starting to feel. She feels insulted, yes, but there is also something else starting to boil deep in her stomach.

Taking in a deep breath, Parsley places her friend – who gives her a somewhat surprised look from casting him aside – and stands up. The hem of the dress she wears is covered in grass, so she brushes the small pieces off and then walks to the table, trying to ignore whatever is happening around her. She doesn't want to get defensive against a fairy. Who knows what the response and aftermath of that would be… But she can't still help from her face heating up. She is used on taking insults for herself – years of practice has practically made her immune to them – but it is rare that anyone blames her parents for how she turned out.

 _She doesn't know what she is talking about,_ is what Parsley silently tells herself while staring into the clear water. Her face is as blank as it can be, but even she can tell that her brows are forcing themselves to knit together. _My parents are great, I know they are._ Her fingers curl again against the wooden table and the magician takes a deep inhale of air. She starts to raise the glass full of water, deciding it is best to show the mage that she has succeeded in something.

"Human parents have always been such and you can not even think about them improving their ways of raising. Now they are even casting spells on their flesh and blood just to keep them obedient. Ludicrous."

That is the last straw and Parsley whirls around, all reason forgotten or thrown out of her head. "My parents didn't cast spells on me!"

The fairy – even Sphynx – seem taken aback by her outburst. Her voice had been until now calm and somewhat soft. But now, it is clear she is pissed, livid, and her hands clench around the glass jar. The beating of her heart drowns any other sound inside her ears.

The small creature recovers first, her small face showing an expression of distaste. " _Really_? Because I beg to differ. That would explain that mark of enchantment on you."

"Even my father and brother have one," the human woman hisses. She has never been good at letting her anger out, because every time her eyes start to water. "Don't you dare make accuses based simply on what you have heard. I may be grateful that you helped us, but – but don't start insulting them! I have not even said a word about your kind, yet… yet," Parsley is struggling to find the right words without starting to scream. She doesn't remember, when was the last time she felt anger like this one. It boils, makes her see red. It was enough, when the mage had told her that ridiculous story about the M-COP, but this is crossing the line. The thought of her parents actually knowing – if what the mage said is true – brings a heavy weight into her chest. "You do not know my parents, you do not know _anything_ about my family, so don't act like an omniscient prat!"

 _But what if she is right?_ Parsley almost shakes her head. She shouldn't be believing that nonsense about the mark blocking the magical abilities. In the end, it was all for magicians' protection, right? Using magic formed around oneself is dangerous. Even if there is an equal risk involving using the magic flowing throughout your body, at least you can feel, when enough is enough. There needs to be certain limits to the amount of power people need or have to use, right? Even if her parents knew of the affect the M-COP had on their children, surely, they would let them be to protect their own family from danger of dying an early death.

However, now, it isn't the mage telling her upsetting theories or ridiculous claims. It is a real-life fairy. One that should know everything there is to know about magic. Parsley nearly starts shaking her head from the thought. She has to remember that this fairy has shown clear dislike towards humans. She must be only pouring her bitterness and letting it blind her judgement.

Still, Parsley can't even think of forgiving or regretting her outburst and glares daggers at the small form like it is the last thing she wants to see. Her feelings must be returned, because the cold blue eyes turn murderous and for a second the fairy's form blurs. It is only for a mere second – maybe less – but Parsley's breath freezes from witnessing what she did. The fairy had looked like one of those tree spirits back at the river. The one who had tried to attack her. _Ragged clothes. A snarl. Withered leaves and flowers-_

"How about you leave us be, for now, fairy," Sphynx finally cuts through the thick atmosphere. His voice is much calmer than his magician's. "It is clear that you are going to do nothing but pester us further. I suggest that we stop any kind of quarreling and leave each other be."

The pair of cold blue eyes seem to shizzle. The small fragile and transparent wings flap briskly against one another, seeming to create some kind of glow around the fairy's delicate form. Were it not for the glowering and stiff look on a pixy-like face, the small creature would look more than enchanting. With her fair hair and silky clothes alongside her fair skin. She is almost like a doll. Almost.

But, suddenly, like she thought of another plan, the fairy smiles. It is not a sneer or showing any kind of mockery but looks genuine. The kind that a child would give innocently to anyone in sight. Frankly, Parsley doesn't get a good feeling from it.

"You may be right, mister familiar," she says pleasantly and then starts to slowly fly backwards. "I guess I will have to take the other human back and outside of the forest."

Her words catch their attention and both cat and human look at each other for a moment, before back at the fairy. Parsley feels confused and tilts her head, lost in her thoughts. _The other human? Who is she talking about? It can't be me, right?_

"You have brought another human… into the forest?" Sphynx asks, catching up more quickly.

"Why yes, indeed. They arrived just a little while ago. Of course, they are not inside our domain, so to speak," the fairy continues, her tone softening, and she nods a few times. "I thought you might be interested-"

"We aren't," Sphynx cuts her off. "Why would we even be? Those people tortured us."

"Oh?" The fairy tilts its head inoffensively and looks behind herself. "I do not think that these are the same ones, though."

Parsley starts to feel even more uneasy. Her hazel eyes dart between the flying fairy and the forest behind her. She has already been walking around there and the whole thing could be one big maze. Robin had been the only one she had met there and even he was strange enough. But, hearing that there might be other people near doesn't make the young magician feel better. She is getting nervous. Her palms are sweaty, and a cold chill has passes across her spine like a lightning.

 _They are coming._ Her inner mind whispers warnings, telling her to retreat into the cottage with her life. The memories of the time she spent in the dungeon-like room – it _was_ a dungeon – haunt Parsley. She recalls those cold gazes that wouldn't show her any mercy and feels her skin starting to prickle. A numbing sensation spreads all over her body in less than a second. _Have they found me? That can't be. This place can't be found, right? Those… those monsters can't be here!_

The fairy returns her attention back to the human and the cat. "They are not the ones that haunted you days ago. They are the _same_ as you."

For the second time, both the magician and her familiar react by looking at each other. There is silence and Parsley can practically feel the doubting air around her friend. She, of course, knows his feelings on this matter and frowns at the small girl – or a woman.

"The same? If… if this is a trick-"

"I can always send them away. Though, maybe I will let the other forest folk deal with them," she says easily and is about to fly away.

Without much of a thought or analyzing the signs, Parsley reaches out. "Wait!"

The fairy halts, tilts her head so that her chin is visible, before fully turning around to face the human. She isn't smiling, nor does she look displeased or arrogant. She asks, with a flat tone: "What?"

"Parsley," Sphynx starts with a silent warning in his voice. "Forget it. Lets just go inside already."

However, his words fall to deaf ears and the magician takes a step closer to the fairy. Not much is going inside her brain at the moment. Frankly, there is this strange feeling in her gut that tells her to back away, but she does the opposite. What if the fairy is telling the truth? What if there are truly people like her – from her world? This fairy couldn't be lying about something like this. Even if she has shown not to like Parsley, she had helped her and Sphynx escape and even brought her to this cottage. It may have not been the best idea to leave them with a mage, but nothing too bad has happened so far.

 _Fairies are mischievous. They trick, plot and can be at some point close to being cruel._ Her heartbeat quickens, and the magician has to take in a deep breath. Sphynx's eyes are digging into the back of her head and the fairy's gaze has the front. _But, at least they aren't cruel enough to kill. Life is sacred for them. She will not harm me_ _ **directly**_ _._ Besides, it isn't like Parsley will leave the protection of the forest fully. Otherwise, she doesn't believe that the mage would have survived this far without getting attacked by those strange people of this world. This forest must have some sort of spell on it.

Also, she desperately wants to see people from her world. She needs only a little bit of normalness as she can get. And who knows? Maybe they are in trouble like she had been.

"Can you show us where they are?"

Parsley swears she hears Sphynx hiss behind her and send a mental note that says: 'This is a bad idea!'

* * *

"How much longer?" The human woman asks, after she has been walking for a while.

The fairy leading the way through the thick bushes below her and tall trees all around them doesn't bother to turn around or even give a glance. She merely answers: "Soon."

Parsley bites down on her lower lip and looks around with uncertain eyes. This part of the forest feels… strange? She isn't certain, if it is merely her mind playing tricks on her. She has been here before, walking and trying to find her way out, but in the end she and her familiar had only walked circles. But now it is different. This small fairy seems to know where the three of them are heading towards to. And the trees… _they feel different._

Not that kind of different that you have never seen them before – though, that is a small part of the reason – but because they look taller, their branches don't seem to let any light reach the forest floor and even the grass and bushes are thicker. They feel almost like they are purposely scratching Parsley's legs under the dress. The grass tickles her ankles and she nearly jumps every time it creates an illusion of snake wrapping around her limb. She is starting to get paranoid and looks to the sides, she can see almost nothing through the shadows of the trees nor their trunks. It is like they are purposely blocking her escape routes.

A shiver goes down her spine. She is starting to recall the tree spirit and pushes the image away from her head. It is still so haunting that she can't bear to remember. This forest is just making her skin crawl. The hairs on her body are standing up from the goosebumps spreading all over her skin. Sphynx is having similar reactions, as his own fur poofs and she feels the softness of it under her cold fingers. It is supposed to be sunny, but the further they walk the colder Parsley is starting to feel.

"How do you know, if they are like me?" She suddenly asks and feels Sphynx stiffening further in her arms.

"You are asking now?" He hisses quietly so that only she can hear him. She does wince slightly from his irritated – if not angry – tone. He isn't done yet, though. "She will be taking us god knows where!"

 _He is right,_ an ashamed consciousness whispers into Parsley's ears and she bites down on her lip. This is like listening her parents scolding her. But she is still thinking that the fairy won't harm them in any way. If she hates humans with the amount she is showing, then she certainly wouldn't drop down to their level by murdering someone. That is what the young woman keeps on thinking to herself, with little success on calming down.

"Do your people still believe in that false god of theirs?" Their guide suddenly asks, the flapping of her wings not slowing down.

It doesn't take Parsley a long time to snap from her inner thoughts back to reality and answer the question with a frown. "God? Yes. It is a large religion."

"…Why?" The fairy asks again, keeping her back towards her. "Why do you worship it? What good has it brought upon your people?"

Her frown deepens, unsure what purpose does this conversation serve in a deep dark forest, but then she realizes something. Centuries ago, humans had believed in the forest folk; fairies, dwarfs, spirits etc. had been the forces of power and mystery to every human. But then, powerful religions started to rise, and people forgot their old ways. Traditions were destroyed, vanished or even completely forgotten by the people that took on a new way of life. Sadly, because magic vanished almost fully, normal people never started to remember the magical folk again. And all because one small – others also came along – belief started to spread too wildly.

 _Is that why she is so irritable? Is that why she hates me?_ Parsley looks at the small fairy, frown smoothing. Some things are finally making sense, in a way. She doesn't want to jump to conclusions thought. But, when you look at the history, it seems painfully possible.

"I don't think I can answer that. I am not religious person to begin with," she finally says truthfully, when nothing else comes to her mind.

The fairy doesn't say anything for a while. But when she does, it is a simple: "I see," that leaves from her small lips. Then, she stops. "We are here."

Parsley's heart almost jumps out of her chest, and she stops walking. Her feet glue themselves on the ground and cease any kind of movement. Sphynx takes this opportunity to jump out of her arms and onto the ground gracefully. Both are on the alert and look around – the human being much more frantic than the cat. Still, there is no denying the tense atmosphere.

They have come to a clearing – a meadow. The grass is yellowish with few pecks of green here and there. It simply looks quite dry, so there has been no rain at least for a week with the blazing sun glaring down at the ground. However, the meadow ends quite absurdly, when a cliff cuts it off and large mountains open up to the view. The wind blows sending some trees near the edge swaying dangerously. Though, it stops, and everything settles down rather quickly. The entire nature is silent, expect when few birds start chirping.

Suddenly, Sphynx lets out an exasperated sound. "She left us. Knew that this would happen."

Everything freezes inside Parsley and she looks down at her friend. "Eh? What do you…" she starts and looks back where she had last seen the fair… only to see empty air. "Eh? Where did she go!?"

"Like I said, she left us," Sphynx repeats, sounding bored while letting his gaze wonder around the area in mild interest. "Thought, the air around here smells a bit different. It is not filled with magic anymore."

That does not make her feel any better and she crouches hastily down with sweat already starting to form on her hands. "W-what do you mean?"

He takes one look at her face and then answer with a calmer tone: "Parsley, stay calm, whatever I am about to say. Alright?"

"Depends on what you are about to say," her voice is barely stable, and her hazel pair of eyes are darting between him and the trees. "What do you mean by _not_ filled with magic anymore?"

The cat actually looks a bit bothered, when he eyes his mistress with a flick of his tail. "I mean that we have probably removed ourselves from the forest where the mage's cottage is in. It must have been surrounded with some sort of barrier, but we are not in anymore. Now, like I said, stay calm and do not start to panic- Parsley? Hey! Calm down!"

She is making her way towards the forest, breaths coming out heavily due to the panic rising inside her ribcage. "We have to find a way back, Sphynx! Hurry! Use your nose!"

 _I can't believe she left us here!_ Parsley should feel betrayed, but there isn't even a prickle of that emotion in her. In fact, she only feels angry towards the small fairy and herself. How could she have been so blind? Of course, that creature took the opportunity to trick her. There is no way that she wouldn't use a chance to get rid of a human. She must have only helped her once from pity, but that was it. And now, she is paying the price for letting that single act get into her head and make her think too naïvely towards the fairy's motives. The young human woman starts to regret the hasty decision she has made. Now, both she and Sphynx are vulnerable.

 _This is all my fault._ The cold realization brings tears into her eyes, but she swallows them and continues walking with brisk steps deeper into the forest. _No! This isn't time for crying! I must get us back! Surely the old mage –_

"Parsley!"

The magician jumps from the loud call of her name and whirls around to face Sphynx. He has come to catch up with her and now stops with his ears perked up straight. While her shoulders are shaking and eyes blurring, Parsley falls down to her knees. The cat stays still, though.

"Sphynx," she whimpers and then places her palms together. "I am so, so sorry. I shouldn't have trusted her. I am stupid, I know, I know, but please don't be mad at me. I never wanted us to get into this situation and I should have known better. I-I just thought that maybe s-someone else like me is in trouble – and I wanted to a-also meet someone with similar circumstances. I am sorry! I also didn't want to face that mage and wanted to… W-well, I am n-not really sure what it w-was. But, I am still sorry! I –"

"Parsley!"

"What!?" She yells back and is ready to pull her hair off.

Sphynx stays quiet for a second. "You are starting to blabber. Take in a breath and calm. Down."

Swallowing a heavy lump in her throat, Parsley does as he says, but then cracks again by letting few tears out. She wipes them away hastily afterwards, though. Many thoughts start to weight down on her head and shoulders. "I… I am sorry."

"Stop saying that," Sphynx hisses, but not unkindly. "I am also partly to blame for not trying to stop you."

"But-"

"It is my job to guide you, Parsley," he says firmly and then looks around. "Anyhow, we have to stay calm and think what to do next."

Her hazel eyes are still watery, but slowly start to dry. The panic doesn't completely fade from her tense muscles, but she is able to breathe normally again. She keeps on looking at her friend in wonder for a little while, before also starting to think their situation. Though, there is another silent question in her mind. _How can he be so calm?_ Shaking her thoughts off from that, Parsley stands up and dusts the dirt off from her dress. It isn't like she still likes the attire, though.

She has to admit. This forest is different compared to the one she had walked through with the fairy. The air doesn't feel as suffocating or heavy. The trees are not standing too close to one another and the magician can feel the difference. The grass or branches are not trying to make her trip nor wrap themselves around her. This forest is not enchanted. Feeling a bit better from realizing this, she starts to take steps back towards the meadow with calm pace. Sphynx follows after just as calmly.

The question remains, though. Where had that fairy left them?

Parsley doesn't stop walking, until she comes to stand near the edge of the cliff. The meadow has ended and barely any grass grows on the spot she is standing on. Her heartbeat quickens from the sight and her eyes do widen. Never before, has she seen these kinds of mountains. They are much larger and wider than the Windy Mountains back at home. Smaller mountains can be seen from between them, probably located somewhere much further away. It is easy to tell that they are not anywhere near the place where those headbanded people held the magician and the cat captive. The fact sends a wave of relief all over Parsley's body.

Until Sphynx starts hissing.

Startled, Parsley looks at him with wide eyes and jumps to the side. "Sphynx?"

"Someone is here," he starts quietly, eyes slit towards the forest on the opposite direction from the cliff, but then looks at her with urgency. "We have to run, **now**."

Not liking his tone at all – it sounds almost like he is _scared_ – Parsley bolts to the side where another part of the forest rests. Her familiar follows soon after, keeping his own pace close to hers. She doesn't need to be told twice to run. If her friend says to run, she will without hesitation and with a cold chill down her spine. The bottom of her stomach keeps on turning with every step she takes.

 _Why? Who could be here? It mustn't be those foreign people, right? They can't be here!_

As if the heavens are against her, Parsley soon trips just as she is about to make into the shadows of the trees. She doesn't know how it happens. One second, she is running with everything she has and the next her foot lands on a small hole on the ground – she didn't see it. The gravity takes a hold, when he foot doesn't move to take a next step forward. She lands harshly and can taste and smell the dust on her face. Her whole front feels like it aches from the impact, but she doesn't have hard time on trying to get up.

However, once again, the escape is paused, when she doesn't seem to get her foot from the hole. Panic rising, Parsley twists so she can see – _this can't be happening –_ bunch of small roots twisting their way all around her ankle. _No, no, no, no!_ Her eyes widen further, horrified. _What is this!?_ The small lines don't loosen their hold, even when she starts tugging her leg violently and trying to tear them off. Instead, her pulls damage only her own hands. Sharp spots dig into her skin and cause the skin to tear.

"Ah!" Her face grimaces for a second, but she continues pulling. She has to run.

"Parsley!" Sphynx is by her side soon and looking at her and the roots around her right leg. He almost yells out: "What in the name of whiskers?"

Terrified to the bone from just sitting around when a threat could be approaching, Parsley nearly starts to cry. "H-help me!"

He is trying to do so even before she asks and uses his claws to tear the roots. It puzzles them both. How could this happen all of sudden. One thing is for sure, this isn't coincidence or an accident. The roots can't just all of sudden wrap themselves around one's leg like it is nothing. Even now, Parsley can feel them tightening their hold as her friend claws them to shreds. The roots are moving on their own will. Keeping her in place. Another chill goes down her spine from the notion.

Luckily, once her foot is freed, Parsley scrambles up and Sphynx drops the last piece of wood in his mouth. His owner is freed, but that does not make him look too eager to get away.

He is rigid, tail standing up and looks at his owner with sharp eyes. "Parsley, we-"

" _My, my, Itachi-san."_

Both the magician and her familiar freeze, the air feels like it does the same. Parsley feels like she can't breathe, and her mouth clams shut. While Sphynx starts growling and hissing, looking more feral than usual.

" _Look what we have here."_

Slowly, very oh so slowly, she twists her neck. Eyes wide, her limbs shaking, but her legs standing still – ready to make another attempt to run depending on the situation. For a moment, she thinks it must be a trick of the light and what she is seeing is not actually there. However, that is not the case for the color black is very obvious and bold against greenish landscape.

 _Please…_ She wants to scream, she wants to run, but the figures standing at least sixty feet away are so imposing that there is no way she will risk it. _Somebody, help us!_ Their heads are hidden under strange hats but judging by their sizes it is easy to tell that the two of them must be male. Also, there is no way that the gruff voice from earlier could belong to a woman. The fact is even more terrifying, and it is a miracle that Parsley's legs have not turned into jellies.

Sphynx has not stopped showing his defense and Parsley does not think he will. It bothers her, and she wishes him to shut up. For his growling must be making these new figures uneasy... or even irritated.

She feels like fainting, but that does not happen. Instead, she takes a shaky step back. _God above, if you exist, then help me!_


	9. Chapter 8: Shark's jaws, crow's claws

_Chapter 8_

 _Shark's jaws, crow's claws_

* * *

Shizune looks more than a bit uptight, as she enters the Hokage's office with Tonton in her hands. The pig pretty much has the same expression on her pink face, as the black-haired woman takes few steps in heels clicking. They both stop, don't say anything and merely stare at the woman sitting behind a wooden desk with their brows knit together.

The blond woman is in the middle of reading a document – one of many scattered all across the wooden surface. But because there are too many, the rest has been placed down onto the floor in large stacks that could as well fall over at any point from a small breeze. Coal black eyes look at them with unease. Not wanting to create a mess is one of the reasons why the apprentice of the Hokage didn't want to walk in while making a racket.

 _"T-tsunade-sama,"_ she finally calls out, unconsciously hugging Tonton tighter against her chest. _"You have guests."_

Tsunade doesn't look overly happy, to begin with. Her brows are knitted together as well, but more from frustration and the amount of work she has to do. One of those blond eyebrows twitches in annoyance and she grabs the cup of tea next to her before washing the bitter taste of long hours down. She grimaces, though. The tea has gotten cold while she has been busy sorting out a report.

Her eyes – sharp as kunai knives and filled with irritation from the lack of rest and alcohol – shoot up towards Shizune who flinches together with the pig. The gaze does not soften.

She all but hisses: _"Can't you see I am busy? I thought I told you that I will not be receiving anyone unless they have an appointment."_

 _"But T-tsunade-sama, they…"_

 _"I don't care. Tell them to come back later,"_ she waves her hand dismissingly and returns her attention back to the papers.

However, instead of backing away and leaving the office to tell whoever is behind the door that they will not be seen, the door opens from the other side and someone steps in. There is more than one pair of footsteps and a vein pulses on Tsunade's forehead just near the diamond mark on it.

The hand on the brush with ink clenches tightly enough to be near the point where the wood could break. It creaks and fights against the crushing hold while the owner of the hand grits her teeth tightly together. Of all days and times, why are people nowadays only giving her headaches? Didn't Shizune hear what she said? If she did, then why isn't she driving the intruders out?

 _"Tsunade."_

The pen nearly snaps again in her hold. She inhales deeply, calming her nerves that nearly burst out just now. Her sharp gaze has not disappeared, and she raises it to look at the three people who have walked past nervous looking Shizune. Tsunade manages to note that she and Tonton look ready to leave the entire room.

Blowing air through her nose, the blond woman leans back against her chair and inclines her head towards her apprentice whose expression twists just a bit from the movement. She gives a short but deep bow with her head turns around and closes the door after herself. The sound of fading heel clicking tells everyone left in the office that she is gone. It doesn't make Tsunade feel any better, though.

Crossing her arms and looking at the three people on the other side of the desk, she asks calmly: _"What is it that the three of you have come here for?"_

Koharu's wrinkles deepen. _"Tsunade…"_ the blond woman almost frowns from the implicated tone. _"It has come to our attention that there was an escape from the T &I unknit less than a week ago."_

Tsunade doesn't even blink and glances at the man covered in bandages. He returns her look with a blank one of his own. No doubt that he is the one who brought this all up in the council. The realization brings yet another bitter taste in her mouth.

 _"We are currently investigating and have sent troops after the prisoners."_

 _"So, you have not only let one but_ _ **two,**_ _escape outside our walls. My, Tsunade-hime, how irresponsible of you,"_ Danzo says easily and there is a hint of mockery in his voice. It is not missed by the blond woman, but he ignores the glare and continues, nonetheless. _"Unfortunately, this is a grave mistake you have made."_

Her brown eyes narrow. _"What?"_

 _"This woman,"_ Homura pulls out a very thin file and throws it on her desk. There, on its front page is a picture of that same wavy-haired prisoner in a wide-eyed state, staring at the camera like it could attack her at any moment. _"The reports tell us that most peculiar thing was found with her."_

 _"Some sort of black box,"_ Koharu continues and walks to the table to flip open another page.

Tsunade had seen the device before. It both mystified everyone around it and frightened them. They had no idea what it could be or what its purpose is. They had decided to put it under a lock and key when safety was not guaranteed.

She uncrosses her arms and places them on the table. Her gaze searches the three others in deep thought before looking back down at the images. Does the council know something more?

 _"Is it dangerous?"_ She asks, feeling a bit uneasy from asking _them_.

 _"No,"_ Koharu's frown is deep. The end of her finger points at the face of the one who Tsunade had met only a few times before. _"What is dangerous is this woman. How could have you let her escape?"_

Tsunade's frown is equal to hers, but her eyes widen. The red nails dig into the wooden table. _"I would not have let anyone under any circumstances escape_ _on purpose! Morino Ibiki was in charge of her interrogation at the time of the escape. If he couldn't prevent her and that cat from slipping out, then neither could have our other top shinobi!"_ Her brown eyes glide across Homura's and Koharu's faces before settling on Danzo's. _"And if memory serves correct, it was_ _ **your**_ _Root members at the time at our village's borders."_

His eye narrow and she suppresses a small smirk. No matter how large of a kick she has gotten from getting him into a corner, it doesn't change the fact that this subject is serious.

The other two members of the council are definitely on the same line because Koharu interrupts their silent exchange. _"Whether that is the case, the fact is that we now have a very dangerous individual out on the loose! We must begin the search immediately!"_

 _"Now, hold on a minute!"_ The fifth Hokage slams her hands down on the desk, the wood rattles under the force. _"I have already given an order for the top ranks to search the woman and the feline. While it is true that this a very serious situation – a great flaw in our security – we also have other worries to take care of. Like the Kazekage! The Aka-"_

 _"This should be our top priority!"_ Danzo slams his staff onto the ground. _"We should focus on the danger inside our borders before it will escape entirely out of our grasps! The other lands and villages do not matter! Unless we have that woman, we can say goodbye to our entire village!"_

 _"Do you not think I haven't considered that? That woman slipped past our security, landed one of our top Yamankas into a hospital bed and has powers and ways we don't understand. Not to mention that we couldn't get any information out of her. Yes, this is severe, but that doesn't mean-"_

 _"You don't know anything about what we are all up against now, Tsunade!"_ Homura yells gathering all the eyes on him. _"This threat will become even bigger than some loopy organization!"_

Her brown eyes widen again, completely taken back by the declaration. She has already seen the damage that "loopy" organization can cause. It has impacted on one entire village by stealing a Kazekage and Jinchuuriki from them – one of the deadly beasts that are hard to contain. And Akatsuki wouldn't stop there. That is why they have to be eliminated. Yet, here is one of the elders of her village showing anger, frustration and… fear? There is no way that they are taking this lightly and this isn't some kind of joke. Homura is glaring at her with fire through his framed glasses. There is a shine of sweat that she had failed to detect before on his wrinkled forehead and his shoulders rise and fall heavily.

He is not the only one showing signs of distress, though. Koharu and even Danzo have grim expressions on their faces. The latter looking at her with it while the former directing it to the ground. The tense atmosphere was heavy enough and ready to break the minute they stepped into the room, but now it is just massive. If any of the ANBUs are listening to this conversation, or someone other from the Root, then they also must be feeling it.

Tsunade thinks back. She recalls those bloodshot eyes that stared up at her from that tiny chair. How messed up that woman's appearance had been, how weak and _civilian_ -like she had seemed. The bruises had covered her along with dirt. Smudges of blood were from small cuts on her face and where the hits had been too severe. And despite that Tsunade was shorter than those other men in T&I even with heels, those hazel eyes had looked at her like she was a monster incarnate. The cat had been mentioned to show enough intelligence to speak at one point or another, but even the feline had been down. They both had looked more like dead than alive to her. Frightened beings who had no chance of surviving for another day.

Oh, how wrong she had been. They all had been fooled. And now, she is definitely going to get even worse news about it, as well. This isn't only about one or two escapees anymore. The council is showing signs of a great panic that will rise.

 _"Tell me…"_ she starts and gathers all three pairs of eyes to herself. Her shoulders are squared, rigid and her eyes are burning with the same fire Homura displayed earlier. _"Tell me what all of you know. Right._ _ **Now**_ _."_

* * *

Surviving mode – a reaction that Parsley has had more than once these days. Her heart rate is escalating, and she can feel how cold waves turn into hot ones and she is shaking. Sphynx is on guard, though. And unlike her, he is capable to make noises – he hisses, growls and his whole body is rigid with tension that implicates preparations for an attack. Honestly, she is praying he will not do anything stupid… for her own lack of brains is the reason the two of them are in this situation.

The self-pity and regret are short lived because she finally scrambles up from the ground. And only one thing is in her mind: they must make a _mad_ run for it.

She isn't thinking of the ways this could worsen her situation or already suspicious looks and only grabs her friend under the stomach before running towards the forest. He lets out a startled noise but otherwise doesn't resist. He must also be having the same thoughts coursing through his head as his owner. The human woman can still feel his tense muscles, though.

Parsley can literally see flashes of horrible memories in her eyes, as her panicked filled gaze stares towards the brown trunks and the darker part of the forest. She isn't crying, though. In fact, too much panic has spread all over her brain. _No, no, no! Why are there people here!? Isn't this in the middle of nowhere!? How come there are people here!?_ The face of the coldly smiling fantasy creature is the next thing that pops into her head in the middle of the run. Those cold blue eyes staring down at them from somewhere above and laughing quietly under her breath are easily imaginable scenarios… Stabbing realization pierces her gut the next moment. _She did this!_ Of course, the truth is plain as day. From the moment she had disappeared, it had been clear that something was wrong.

Time seems to move forward in a slow motion, as the young woman has taken only five to eight steps to the forest, when a dark matter appears before her in a flash and she crashes into it, nose first. It is like being slammed into a brick wall.

"Ah!" She cries out from the pain on her face. However, she is soon taking hasty and frightened steps back, face paling tenfold. Her wide eyes snap up immediately and all the strength nearly leaves from her body – her knees start shaking in a second.

There, standing just around five feet away is the tall person without his hat on. Parsley wishes that he would have it on even now. Because his face is shocking and frightening enough to be straight out of a mutant movie. However, it is his features, that makes it easy for the young woman to recognize him. _He_ is the same creature that she was shown a photo of while being held captive and tortured.

Razor sharp teeth are in full view, as the man – or a monster – grins amusedly down at the clearly frightened woman. His beady eyes – _fish_ -like eyes – don't even blink once when he – or it – does this.

 _"Now, where do you think you are going?"_ He speaks that foreign language, just like those people who had captured her.

 _He appeared out of nowhere!_ It is exactly like what happened with those masked people in the forest… her blood turns into ice from registering this information. The magician's heart almost stops, when she takes a notice of a strange symbol – with a large line crossing it from left to right – carved into a metal plate on his headband, thing. _He is one of them!_

The cat in her arms starts hissing violently, again. She hugs him tighter, but almost yelps from the feeling of his claws. The man only seems to become more amused by seeing her obvious flinch.

She flinches for the second time when she notices another man from before walk next to the taller male like he had been behind him the whole time. But unlike the other man, he is still wearing that ridiculously round hat. The white strings are drawn to the side, but only his eyes can be seen – a black collar reaches just below them. And she can literally feel his gaze boring holes into her. And that is not the only reason why his stare makes her freeze like a deer in the headlights. The two orbs are as red as they can be. At first, Parsley is thinking that her own eyes are playing tricks on her, but the bright color does not fade.

Her stomach turns around and she takes another shaky step back, fighting an urge to whirl around and try running away for the second time. _They will catch me._ Her breathing is heavy, panicked. She keeps on clutching Sphynx close and staring at the two men with obvious horror drawn on her face. She has no idea who these people are, only that she has seen one of them before in a picture and that he wears a strange headband that her captors had. She is close to crying again.

It only takes a few seconds, for the red eyes to turn slightly away from her. _"Kisame, she is not a threat."_

The shark-man turns to look down at his companion, then at Parsley before back at the other man. _"Could have figured that out. But you have got to admit, her running away was rather suspicious. Also, there are no village's around for miles."_

Those beady eyes return once again to her and Parsley's mouth dries. Not that his face looked pleasant, to begin with, but the tone he speaks with makes sweat trail down her back. He is obviously impatient. _"Who are you?"_

 _He is speaking to me… What am I supposed to do!?_ Panic starts to form tears in her eyes. Not that they weren't already forming before. But she silently prays that the earth would swallow her up. It is hard to breathe.

 _"We should not waste any time here. We still have a mission."_

Parsley can admit that she has no interest in what they are talking about and glances down at her friend when she sees that their attention doesn't seem to be on her anymore.

The cat is still extremely tense, and his eyes literally split into two by dark pupils. They are shining with gold color and look absolutely feral, something that startles Parsley. She can feel the vibration of a silent growl with her hands around his small body. Not a friendly sound and it makes her feel even more scared than she already is. He is making this worse, despite being defensive for both of their sakes.

She is mortified. The sensations she is experiencing are the exact same ones she had during the time those strange masked people had appeared in the middle of the forest. She is having a terrifying déjà-vu from that time

 _I should run! They are here to take me back to that place!_ Her hazel eyes shoot up to look at the men…

Their attention is on Parsley and Sphynx again.

The blue-skinned man is frowning, and he has come a lot closer than before. _"Oi, woman. Are you deaf or mute?"_

Parsley blinks and tries to conceal her panicked mind. She looks up at him, feeling how her tense muscles start to hurt and struggles not to let out a whimper. _W-what does he want?_ She wants to start crying, she really does but remains stone still. The air isn't moving in and out of her lungs anymore, though. Instead, her whole attention is focused on the horrifying face of the man – a creature?

He blinks this time. She takes a step back from seeing this. It disgusts her, for she thought fishes couldn't blink. Her lower lip drops in means to speak, but she leaves it at that. _Maybe pretending to be mute and deaf would help me?_ The idea brings a little bit of light and hope into her mind. As long as she doesn't open her mouth, everything should go smoothly… unless they are planning on killing her or worse.

When he sees she is not talking, he leans back and looks at his partner. _"She might have been abandoned here. Let's just put her and the furball out of their misery."_

Parsley follows his hand, as it reaches out from the extremely long sleeve and towards a strange stick behind his back – she notices it only now. Blue fingers wrap around it with a movement of familiarity and the young woman takes another note on a small skull at the thing's end. Somehow, her gut is twitching and telling her to try and escape again.

In a slow and sudden motion, Sphynx lets out a loud and threatening sound and jumps at the tall male, claws first. His human friend can only stare with wide eyes after him. She hadn't expected him to lash out so out so suddenly.

The man must be surprised as well, but his other hand is very soon – with lightning fast reflexes – blocking his face where the feline tries to get to. So, instead of the magical familiar's claws getting into his eye socks, they sink into a light blue skin and flesh of his palm. Sphynx's teeth follow after.

 _"Tch!"_ The fish-like face hardens, and sharp teeth are bared in full view. However, the expression doesn't show any sign of pain or anguish – just irritation.

In a second, Sphynx is hurled to the side by one strong swing from the arm he was trying to maul. His tiny dark body flies across the air and it is only when he is in the middle of his flight that does Parsley realize what has happened in a matter of seconds. Her hazel eyes blink and then turn quickly to where she hears a loud yowl to see her cat colliding with a trunk of a tree. The 'thud' is sickening and makes her stomach drop. He twitches a few times after hitting the ground.

Parsley's stares at her friend almost blankly. Her mind can't process clearly what has happened immediately, but cold fear and horror settle into her gut. It is not a pleasant sensation and she can't breathe for a moment.

 _Sphynx!_

She nearly bites her tongue in half and quickly runs to his side, not giving the two men even a glance anymore. Though, she does not forget that they are still present. When she crouches down, her cat friend is already struggling to get up.

He must have pretty much the same idea as she does, for he does not utter a word as well. They both must stay silent to look as normal as one possibly can. Instead, the feline struggles to get up to his four feet. He does not raise his head, but she can see how tense he is slowly becoming, again. He must be bottling up a lot of rage. If not for this situation being more than serious, it would seem almost comical – a cat being defeated by fish.

Parsley bites down on her lower lip. Her humor sounds dry in her head. There is nothing amusing about this, watching her friend being hurt. Her hazel eyes whirl around to look at the two figures that stare at the scene. The shorter one's expression is impossible to see… but the one with the shark-like face is as clear as a day. He is showing his razor teeth in full view, displeasure clearly edged on his face as his gaze slides from his bitten hand to the woman and her cat.

* * *

As the woman stares at them from the ground – terror evident in her wide eyes – Kisame looks down at his arm. Thin rivers of blood seep out from the puncture wounds on the light blue skin. It is nothing compared to a more serious injury, but it sure isn't pleasant. An S-ranked criminal being injured by a mere animal who isn't even a ninja cat doesn't amuse him in any way. Not to mention he is a tad bit irked about the fact how his muscles feel a bit strained after running for days. This hasn't happened to him in years and it is all because of that chakra exhaustion he suffered a while back. It is like part of his and others' stamina was taken away as well.

His already narrow eyes narrow and he glares at the cat who is barely able to gather strength into his paws to stand up. An urge to crush the creature with his foot surges through his body.

Kisame growls: _"Damn vermin."_

While he is practically radiating irritation, Itachi – who has merely stood silently by his side – looks at him under the large hat. _"Kisame, leave them."_

 _"C'mon, Itachi-san,"_ he starts, letting his tone tell all about his mood. The tips of his fingers twitch from a desire to grab Samehada's handle. _"If not the woman, at least the cat. The little viper surely deserves it."_

 _"Calm yourself,"_ is his simple answer.

The fish-like man clicks his tongue in annoyance and disappointment. He thinks about offering to finish the woman next but thinks otherwise. If his partner doesn't even let him kill an animal, the human would be no better. With no other choice, his hand lowers to his side. He can't decide if the Uchiha still has morals left or is simply too focused on a mission to be bothered by weaklings.

The woman hasn't stopped trembling and crying. In fact, when Kisame looks at her again she flinches visibly and covers against a tree behind her. A wide grin spreads on his face from the reaction, which makes her seem even more frightened.

He thinks back to the time he has last killed a civilian and admits that it didn't give him much pleasure. Most don't even try to fight back. This woman would be no different.

Like their thoughts are linked, both ninjas direct their gazes back to the female a few feet away. She is still crouched down beside the cat and has managed to raise the thing into her shaking arms. Still, she makes no move to stand up and run, no indications of being a threat or ready to fight. The only movement she does is flinching and trembling. And most of all, her mouth remains in a thin line and even her eyes are frozen on them. They are full of tears.

 _Pathetic._

It isn't pitying. But Kisame wishes to have a chance to really put her out of her misery. Just watching someone ready to soak their pants makes all thrill fade. This day is becoming, even more, duller by the minute. Though, he does admit that her fear is amusing. Itachi merely gazes at her with mild disinterest in his red orbs. He must feel something close what his partner does, too. In the view of the beady eyes, this is no different than watching an animal that is slowly dying.

A lone woman with a cat in a deep part of thick forest between borders is as good as dead without their help.

The very idea of killing her or the cat doesn't vanish the longer they stare down at her. Which only takes less than a minute. Her shaking hasn't lessened nor do the tears stop coming out of her eyes. She is practically begging them not to kill her with that kind of look. The cat's growls are drowned by the sight of her miserable state. Her face has lost all of its colors and her shaking is so violent that she could topple over at any minute. The easy and quick observation also spikes the ninja and reawakens his wish to put an end to her.

With her appearance – a smudge of dirt on her face and clothes from the ground, trails of sweat, the _fear_ she is soaking in – it is a mystery how she could survive in these parts even for an hour. Maybe less.

 _Weak._

He stares at her for a while longer with his partner but ends up merely relaxing his stance. His thrill and excitement for a good kill have already disappeared completely. His face is merely showing disappointment mixed with aggravation from the wasted time. This woman truly isn't a ninja, but a mere civilian. He had almost hoped for it to be a façade. _There is no way it is._ He can smell the terror she is in for merely looking at them from this distance. If it weren't for Itachi, he would have already killed her.

 _"Let's go, then,"_ he finally says and turns. However, he stops when he doesn't feel the familiar silent presence next to him. _"What is it now, Itachi-san?"_

When there is no answer, Kisame turns around to see the Uchiha staring at the woman. He doesn't move even after the question or even look back at him.

 _"She is the one,"_ Itachi says as if it is an answer enough.

 _"Hm?"_ He walks back to him and looks at the woman. She flinches once again and slowly scoots back against the bark of a tree with the cat still in her arms.

The bell on the straw-hat rings, as red eyes slide to him in one smooth motion. _"During the jutsu with the Jinchuuriki. That strange light,"_ he looks at the woman. _"She is the one that appeared in it together with that cat."_

Kisame's mind pauses for a period of time that is less than half of a second. Then, his head turns sharply to the trembling woman on the ground – she flinches again from noticing his actions. His beady eyes search through her face, her appearance together with the cat's that's golden eyes glare at him with feral intent. There is no recognition or familiarity that he could piece together and create a clear picture… for a while at least. The vivid pictures of what happened in the cave are being compared to the female on the ground. Her form is taken into a consideration together with the cat. Despite the fact that the bright light had blinded him for a crucial moment days ago, Kisame had managed to catch a few details.

Whoever had appeared and disappeared from the light, had a long hair. That is where this woman's locks come in, but that is not enough evidence or a strong confirmation for the mist ninja. The cat is another factor but that could also be a mere coincidence. And then there are those eyes. Wide and frantic, staring in that radiating fear and filling themselves up with a new set of tears. The hazel color is there but could be mistaken for brown. During the Jinchuuriki's beast extraction, whoever had come in the middle of it had tilted their head just a little for some to catch their half-open eyes. _The same eye shape._ Kisame narrows his own eyes, gathering pieces of the trembling puzzle in front of him. Finally, there is the shape of the head and just wholly the figure. It could hardly have been a man in that light and the subject had been brought up a few times few minutes after the incident. Still, those were the only possible features that they had gotten out of every person from the organization.

His brows knit together. Sure, he can pick up similarities, but that is not convincing enough. Especially, when there is clearly a weeping _civilian_ on the ground, covering before him and another ninja. There is no trace of extraordinary chakra coming from her, nor does her physique show any kind of experience in physical labor or fighting. The cat is – despite its infuriatingly undomesticated disposition towards the fish-like man – definitely normal. If it were anything special, it would have done something worse or had better reflexes against Kisame's hit.

The person responsible for their damaging situation had been pictured quite differently in his head. No doubt others have, too. Something, or someone, who manages to suck out almost all of their chakra supplies out of their bodies like it is nothing… this woman definitely couldn't be capable of such a thing, at least, that is what Kisame's deteriorating thought is. They both have noticed how she has reacted to their voices from the corner of his eye. Even if it has been barely evident.

Either she is retarded… or playing deaf and mute.

Kisame glances at his partner. And sure enough, he has got his Sharingan still on. He had it even when the strange light had appeared during the jutsu, so had taken in details that no normal eye could see. If he says that this is the one, then it is.

 _"Well, this is certainly a peculiar turn of events."_

* * *

There is a shift in the air. The two men are too quiet for her liking and Parsley hugs Sphynx carefully closer. She is worried that he might have broken something and or even hurt his head with the hit he took. However, seeing how two pairs of eyes are now locked on her and him, makes the magician fear something far worse. It is bad enough that she doesn't understand a word that they have said. But now that they have stopped talking the tension is enormous. It crushes her.

Those eyes… they are just so cold to her. Both beady and red. She has never been looked with such eyes and it is terrifying. Like they could slide a knife through her flesh without even a twitching facial muscle. That image actually surfaces in her mind and sends a violent cold chill down her spine.

Her eyes dart between the two faces, unsure which one is worse, and she should avoid it. They are both just so alarming. Not only because one has gills and bizarre skin color, but because they are both completely blank. No expression to tell what thoughts are moving inside their heads. Her heartbeat keeps on drumming inside her ears the longer she tries to comprehend their stillness.

She doesn't have to try and comprehend long, though.

 _Ting!_

A cold hand cuts off her air supply and lifts her up before smashing her back against the tree. The impact sends a path of pain all across her spine and the back of the head and a cry of pain escapes her mouth that can barely get any oxygen in. It sounds more like a raspy wheeze than a scream to her ringing ears. Through that same ringing, Parsley hears the sound of violent growling and hissing. She had dropped her familiar midair.

 _Sphynx._

Without anything to hold onto, she reaches out and grips tightly the hand holding her without much effort. Desperately, her fingernails claw the skin in vain. The hold only tightens and makes her vision blur and she looks through that blur at her assaulter. It is the man with the red eyes. _C-can't breathe!_ Her feet fail around, kicking the bark with the heels. Terror of a cornered animal takes over and her trashing becomes wild. Though it does little good, or nothing at all. She is still being kept tightly against the tree and a hand around her throat that feels like it keeps on tightening with every second.

Her face begins to warm up. Blood rushes and pulses in it and her limbs grow heavy. Tears keep on escaping from the eyes, but soon they stop. Her mind grows fuzzy. Fear and reason become nonexistent, and slowly, her hands and feet become lax and slide down limply, motionlessly.

It isn't until that her consciousness is starting to fade does the hold loosen enough for her to gasp for breath. Parsley's feet touch the ground.

 _"Who are you?"_ The voice speaks close, the sound bringing yet another chill down her aching back.

Her lower lip trembles as senses return into her brain. Slowly, she opens her eyes that she didn't realize were closed and meets the ominous gaze of red eyes.

 _Ting! Ting!_

A sound of tingling bells puzzles her for a second before fear returns ten-fold from a tightening grip. She fears for another strangulation and starts to shake her head as much as she can with tears streaming down her closed eyes. Then, she smells it: a faint scent of metal. She doesn't recall immediately from where the sound and smell are both familiar, but when she does the fingers around her neck make a violent shaking motion. She feels like a ragdoll and whimpers.

The voice of the strange-eyed man speaks again. _"Answer me."_

She is once again gasping for air and clutches the ice-cold hand, in vain trying to get it off. He isn't yelling and sounds fairly calm and collected. Yet, there is a warning in it. _S-s-someone, h-help!_

Sphynx is obviously in a pinch. He is still letting out wild and loud noises, but he should have tried to help her already. Maybe by trying to claw the pale arm off from her. But he doesn't seem to be doing that at all, despite the fact that the man before her and her tears are covering Parsley's entire vision.

Suddenly, Sphynx's feral growls are silenced. Parsley's heart nearly stops.

 _"Finally. It is quiet."_

 _"Kisame, do not kill the cat yet. We have not gotten any information."_

 _"Want me to contact the Leader?"_

She doesn't dare to move nor fight against the choke hold. Her heartbeat is already escalating, and cold sweat covers every inch of her body. She fears for her life, for both hers and her cat's. She doesn't understand what will happen soon. But they certainly are working for those other black cloaked men from that cell room. They may be not wearing the same clothes, but they have the headbands. Not to mention she had been shown a picture of the shark-like man in that hellhole. Honestly, she hadn't believed him to be real, until now. And whoever this other man is, she doubts he is less dangerous.

They continue talking about something – she obviously has no idea what – and when they fall into short silence the hand around her neck returns its choking grip.

"A-agh…" she chokes out, hands trembling at her side and rise up to pull on the one cutting off her airway. _No! Stop!_

Sphynx's growling is back, but not as strongly as before. She is now positive that he is being held back by the shark man.

As if knowing what she is thinking, the said creature speaks up with that gruff voice. _"Sounds like she has a voice to me."_

The cat's loud yowl vibrates the air and pierces Parsley's ears. Her eyes snap wide open and try to look past the intimidating face of the man before her. It proves to be impossible, for he tightens his grip as a silent warning. Not knowing what else to do, her eyes wander towards his. They are almost the only thing visibly between the hat and the collar. She manages to get a glimpse of few strands of what looks like black hair.

Still, she wishes there was something else she could stare besides those red orbs. They are so bright it feels nearly impossible. Not to mention Parsley is starting to notice something even stranger in them. There are three small and drop-like shapes on each of the eyes. They are as black as the pupil in the middle. But… a very strong shudder makes her tremble when she sees them _spin_.

 _What…_ Her mind is growing blank once again what feels like the hundredth time. _What on earth!?_

 _"I repeat, who are you?"_

A silence and a whimper from Parsley. She tries to understand his words – her life is on the line in this for god's sake – but finds no similar words in his speech.

The shark-man chuckles, the sound both dark and cold.

A shuffle of clothes, two heavy steps, and a shadow soon passes over her and the man with the blood eyes. Sphynx is now closer as well and a heavyweight appears inside her gut. She begins to worry when the larger male starts to speak something to his partner and the two engage in a short conversation. The shorter one doesn't take his eyes off from her, though. She is actually grateful for the fact he is covering every range of her gaze. Seeing the other man – fish – would make her trembling worse. Although, those red eyes are making her stomach clench painfully from nervousness.

A breeze.

 _Ting!_

 _Think, think, think!_ Between trying not to slump down because her jelly knees keep on shaking under her weight and keeping an eye contact – the _longest_ one in her entire _life_ – Parsley is desperately thinking ways to get out of this entire situation. Of course, nothing comes up.

Sphynx's cries become louder and soon the shark man is speaking again. _"I am really starting to think she is retarded. Shouldn't you just use your Sharingan and be done with it? This furball is already a nuisance."_

Hazel eyes slightly move to where the voice comes from, but soon return back to the man before her. She feels another warning squeeze around her neck. It is a firm hold and lets her take a breath… Still, she feels like no air is getting into her lungs.

Red eyes blink for what feels like the first time and keep on looking – Parsley starts to think it is a glare – down at her. The black things in them spin again and make a bunch of goosebumps spread all across her arms and back… and then the small spinners morph into stranger black shape.

A small scream comes out of her mouth and her hands immediately let go of the pale one, like it is burning her skin. She is suddenly wishing to claw the hand on her neck as her skin itches, burns and _crawls_ from the touch. _O-oh my – ohmygodohmygod!_ She starts to struggle again and tries to ignore the tightening hand until it becomes too painful.

A rough laugh of amusement. _"She seems to have a voice, alright."_

Her heart and head pulse from something that is definitely adrenaline.

The skin between the – most _freakish_! – eyes wrinkles. It is as if the man is confused and looks at Parsley as one would at a puzzle. He is extremely still, and she can feel a twitch of his finger. Her muscles tense from the slight movement and fears he will start choking her again. The new pattern in both orbs traces back to the small three spots in a matter of a second.

The silence is like a blanket. Even Sphynx has stopped his own noises and Parsley prays silently for him to be alright.

Finally, the eyes slide away from hers and a tear trails down her cheek. It feels warm and tickles the area under her chin. Something clicks inside her brain all of sudden when the drop stops there, and her breath hitches quietly. The muscles in her arms nearly slacken and her lower lip drops slightly. _Water._ She can _create_ water.

The man doesn't notice the change in her demeanor.

 _"I can't cast a genjutsu on her."_

 _"…What?"_

Whether it is because the magician's mind works with urges of panic or she has seen an opening – she can't tell which one makes her trembling hand move up first – but she lets it move forward towards the man's face.

His gaze slides back too soon and grabs her hand with his free one. This makes her breath hitch, especially when his frown deepens, and she can see the end of his nose the way he tilts his head as a warning. Of course, he has appeared out of thin air and choked her in a blink of an eye, so there is no way he could get distracted easily.

The cat cries out again and sends a wave of pain all over her nervous stomach. Another set of tears slide down from her eyes from hearing Sphynx cry out again. A shudder raises goosebumps all over her body and she grits her teeth silently. She doesn't have much time to concentrate. Not in this kind of situation with these kinds of circumstances. She will probably only have one chance.

 _I have got to get away._ There will be nobody to help her here this time. Nobody will be able to save her or her cat friend. That is why… _I can't rely on my own magic anymore. Otherwise, we will…_

An image of the dark room appears, of Sphynx lying in a cage is like an electricity shock to her entire body.

She bites her tongue, becoming a frozen statue and then…

A giant blast of blue bursts out of her hand.

* * *

A squirrel is minding his own business. It is merely running across the bark of a sturdy tree that her family is occupying. The sound of her nails on the wood is faint and she pauses just as an end of a single grass is about to touch the tip of its dark nose. Its large, button-like eyes stare ahead where the rest of the forest continues, being wary of any predator that could jump out at any given minute.

When there doesn't seem to be any danger, the squirrel jumps down to the ground and starts running towards the nearby acorn. Her movements are quick and smooth. She had noticed the tasty treat before from on top of the branches.

The small animal reaches the acorn, picks it up and starts to inspect the thing. It certainly looks good enough.

However, its attention is stolen from the food, when there is a strange sound vibrating the air. It doesn't come abruptly. Rather, it grows and grows in very steady pace. The sound is enough to make the squirrel's ears perk up and its furry face turns towards the direction where it is coming from. The muscles in its tiny body tighten and it stays rigid in its place while not seeing any kind of threat, yet. The sound is advancing closer, though. A peddle near starts to sway and tremble against the ground.

Then, it happens.

A wall of liquid blue crashes through the trees in promiscuous but deadly fast speed. The woods crack, break and fall from the massive force. The squirrel makes a run for it and drops the acorn to the ground, hunger forgotten.

By the time it has made its way into the hole in the tree, the water has reached the said tree and submerged the whole thing into its giant mouth. The tree sways alongside the current but doesn't fall. Still, it does not save the whole family of small animals from drowning.

The water doesn't stop there, though. Its whole objective is probably to drown the entire forest all the way to the mountains.

A blast of dark shoots out of the bottom. The surface is broken by it and more splatters of water rise after its appearance in midair. Itachi lands on his feet easily, staying put despite the water moving forward with its usual speed and struggling to catch his breath. He coughs out the water that had managed to invade his lungs and straightens up, Sharingan bright and activated in alert. The large hat is lost from the top of his wet head and few strands cling to his face. He is breathing slightly faster than usual but manages to calm down the harsh heartbeat within his ribcage. The ringing in his ears is harder to stop, though. For a moment there, the Uchiha had thought the pressure from the weight of the water would crush him completely.

His gaze trails down to see the destruction the tidal wave has brought. Barely any of the trees tops are reaching the water's surface and he has the privilege to see one snap and be fully submerged. The sight makes him think, whether a human like himself could also have been broken so easily, if he has stayed but a moment longer under the cold water.

Another splash sound fills the air with water's rumbling and another dark figure lands on top of the water. Kisame also has no difficulties staying there – easily straightening up and looking towards his equally soaked partner.

His lower lip curls dangerously, revealing those sharp triangle shaped teeth of his. _"Well, isn't this quite awkward? We have been outwitted by a single woman."_

Usually, there would be that hint of that sardonic amusement with a hint of playfulness in his voice, but there isn't any now.

Itachi merely blinks, drops of water sliding down from his eyelashes and trailing down to his lower face. He starts taking off the Akatsuki coat that has gotten heavy and places it over his shoulder with a splat. He is still wet to the bone, but that isn't exactly his biggest concern. Kisame follows suit and also takes his coat off.

 _"Should have known she was faking those tears,"_ the mist ninja mutters and adjusts Samehada more comfortably on his shoulder. His beady eyes look around the water covered land to see that the surface is finally lowering itself and revealing the trees that have been left standing. He frowns. _"The woman sure has power for such a small thing…"_

… _took me by surprise,_ would probably be the normal thing anyone would say. In fact, Itachi says those words in his head together with his partner. Although, this isn't the only thing that had surprised the two of them.

Nobody should be able to reject genjutsu put on by an Uchiha's eyes. Those eyes hadn't even managed to see her do any hand signs or gather up enough chakra to do such a thing – such an enormous attack.

Instead of trying to bring the subject up now, Itachi closes his eyes briefly. _"Did you manage to contact the Headquarts?"_

 _"Yes. Though, now they are expecting us to return with prisoners. I swear, they are all going to hold this over our heads,"_ Kisame says without a humor in his voice, again. He frowns, a dark look veiling his eyes for a second, before the corners of his blue mouth start to twitch. His gaze looks at the destroyed forest's floor covered in pieces of broken and soaked wood, branches, mud and grass. He is now standing on top of a mere puddle that has formed beneath their feet.

His partner notices a change in the air and looks at him with a blank face. What he sees is the mist ninja's face covered in a sinister grin. Itachi blinks once and a drop from a wet tree next to him drops down to the puddle he is standing on at the same time. The dark-haired man should have guessed that his partner would get more enjoyment from this than displeasure. They did get washed away, dropped their guards for a moment – a _mistake_ for shinobi – and have now lost the woman and her cat. They have without a doubt slipped away somehow, despite the terrible flood. Still, that single woman has managed to take two missing nins off guard.

Kisame's deadly grin widens as he ruffles the water from his hair. All this obliteration around him… just thinking how much more that woman could do makes his bloodlust rise to extreme. The wound on his arm from the cat stings, adding fuel to the fire. There is a thrill growing inside the tailless beast and he lets out a throaty chuckle.

He hadn't sensed a thing from that woman. Not a drop of powerful chakra or when she performed this water jutsu. She had looked like a weakling to him – an easy kill. Her acting had been so convincing that who would have guessed that there would be someone hiding monstrous strength underneath? He is shocked, surprised, a bit ticked off from not seeing it, but _delighted_.

 _"Tell me, do we still need to go after that lord?"_

 _"We'll have to contact the Leader again. He will give us further instructions."_

Kisame chuckles. _"Oh, he won't be too happy to hear of our failure."_

Itachi doesn't answer to that.


	10. Chapter 9: Epiphany

_Chapter 9_

 _Epiphany_

* * *

" _The teacher called again. She thinks that this should stop."_

" _What on earth are you talking about? What are we supposed to stop?"_

" _Darling, don't act dumb with me, please. I mean_ _ **her**_ _studies."_

" _What? Where did you get this idea from? Why should we stop it?"_

" _The teacher thinks she might hurt herself or someone else one of these days if she continues using magic… The nerve of that woman!"_

" _Hey! Don't raise your voice like that. They will hear us."_

 _Thomas Longboard is right. Someone could hear them. In fact, someone has since the conversation started._

 _Parsley flinches inside her room, her small form crouched in front of her toys. There was a doll in her hands earlier, but it slipped away when she started to listen to the conversation. Her small isn't filled with any thoughts, but there is an expression on her face. It morphs from the small sting inside her chest. There are a few walls between herself and her parents, so the voices are a bit muffled. Maybe, they are speaking loud enough for her to hear them on purpose?_

 _Stepping over the dolls, stuffed animals and toy cars, Parsley walks to the door and presses her ears against it, her bare feet barely making any noise. On the other side of this door, there is a hallway and over it a living room. Her parents are in the kitchen, which is right next to it. Someone must have left the doors on the other side open and because of that, it is no wonder that she can hear everything._

 _Orick, who had been playing with his small truck, stops what he is doing after noticing his little sister's absence. His eyes slide to the door and take in her small body's stillness. However, the young boy is more interested in playing, and soon loses his interest in her behavior. In his mind, she is only playing, like he is. If only he could hear or be intrigued by the voices of his parents to understand the situation, then maybe he would let the small truck drop from his hands._

 _Parsley presses herself harder against the door. Despite the small alarm – with a child the emotion is closer to a panic – growing inside her, she doesn't try to muffle the voices. But when she hears that her parents have stopped talking loud enough, she reaches out and stands on her toes to reach the knob of the door._

"' _She can't become a magician', is what Mrs. Browns said," Page says softly, quietly, unaware of how her daughter has become frozen in the middle of the hallway. "The other teachers are thinking the same. They have even contacted us more than once about Parsley's ability to control her powers… I can't forget how the last parent-teacher conference went._ _ **This**_ _has to stop, Thomas."_

 _Those words are enough to make Parsley's ears ring. Her wide, innocent eyes have become wider and now glaze over. Her small hands clench around the hem of her shirt. Of course, she has started crying. Her mind is too young to truly understand the complexion of reality, but it is like she has been hit into the stomach. It is a foreign emotion for her, but no sound of crying escapes her throat. She holds it in, biting her lower trembling lip. She doesn't want her parents to find out that she has been eavesdropping on them._

" _Parsley?" Orick opens the door fully and watches as his little sister doesn't react to his voice or approach. She is completely still, not saying anything and looking down at the ground. "What is wrong?"_

 _She doesn't say anything, merely turns around and walks briskly back into their room. Her brother can only catch a glimpse of her hair when she dives under the covers of her bed and curls it into a tight cocoon. He frowns and walks over to her._

 _Parsley frowns deeply, tears escaping from her eyes, as she feels her brother poke her on the back. She says angrily through the covers: "Go away."_

" _You aren't supposed to go sleeping with your clothes on," is his smartass reply._

" _Shut up! Stupid Orick! Go away!" Parsley yells and swallows a tight lump in her throat. She can't control the series of painful emotions inside herself anymore. She just doesn't understand how someone could say such cruel things about her._

 _Orick, obvious to the sadness his sister is experiencing, thinks she is just being cranky for no good reason. "Hey! I am not stupid!"_

 _"What is all this racket for?" A voice drawls out, a loud yawn following. A silence comes next like the speaker is observing the situation before them. "Hey, Orick, be nice to your sister."_

" _She is the one who started it!"_

" _Yes, yes. Now, be a good boy and go play with your toys."_

 _The little boy mutters something under his breath but does walk away from Parsley's bed. She feels relieved but also bothered. She knew that Sphynx was taking a nap in this room but hadn't bothered to keep her voice down. Even now, she feels like exploding and yelling at her brother. Her mind is screaming at her to get angry at somebody._

 _Curling up even further, she buries her face int her pillow. It smells like soap but brings little comfort to her. Instead, her mind continues wandering around and bringing depressing and hurtful thoughts inside her brain._ _ **Why would Mrs. Brown say something like that? I can use magic!**_ _She repeats those words mentally over and over, but it soon stops. Even as a small child, she can see and admit what she can and can't do. But it hurts her – to admit that magic – her dream – is a thing that she can't possibly achieve._

 _A weight literally settles on her side. Parsley stiffens and feels how more tears start pouring down her face. She peeks under the covers, though._

 _Sphynx has settled on her back and is obviously trying to sleep._

 _Parsley's lower lip starts trembling again, but she doesn't push him away. Instead, she dives back under the covers, accepts the warmth and softness that his body is radiating on her and continues crying silently._

* * *

Parsley feels like she can't breathe. It is not because of the amount of fear that is making every muscle in her body tighten, though. The reason for the lack of air is because of the constricted space around her. The tip of her nose would touch the hard surface before her if she even moved an inch. Her hands – firmly on her sides and trembling – try to move to the sides, only to be stopped by the same hard surface. It is somewhat rough, but definitely firm enough and all around her like a cocoon.

 _No. This can't be…_ Panic, the downward spiral is muffling and blurring any healthy senses and brain cells she has left. Space is limited, but it feels like the walls are squeezing in, ready to crush her without mercy. Her vision is pitch black, as well. She can only depend on what her fingers feel and that is a barrier separating her from the outside world.

"No… NO! Let me out!" Her shrill scream scratches the insides of her throat harshly as she manages to twist her hands up and slam them against the wall. "Please! Somebody! Let me out!"

 _Where is Sphynx!? What is this!? Where am I!?_ Her hand hits the wall repeatedly and she starts to turn around and try other spots without any results. The wall stays firmly in place. Her weak attempts to break it prove to be laughable and futile.

She remembers what happened. Those men and the spell she had used – the one where she created water out of thin air. It had worked, without commanding words, too. It was remarkable. She couldn't describe the emotions she felt at that moment but after that… She only recalls something wrapping around her from the back and pulling her in. The moment it had, she had tried to struggle in fear and in vain. It didn't use hands, but something that felt hard, wooden and shell-like. Too strong for a person like her to fight against. Well, there was no way she could have fought anything in the state she had been in. Still, she can only imagine in horror what kind of creature has captured her and where she currently is imprisoned at. The temperature gets suffocating and hot through her own rushed breaths.

Hitting doesn't clearly work. So, she starts clawing instead, like an animal. The skin under the ragged nails burns. Parsley's heartbeat and breathing quicken with extreme speed.

"Let me out!" She continues screaming, throat raw, ears ringing and eyes burning. Every sensation feels either uncomfortable or smothering and she can't handle it well. "Sphynx! Somebody! Let me- Ah!"

She doesn't get to finish when gravity takes a hold of her and the darkness is replaced by bright light and rushing air. The young woman doesn't get to realize what has happened when she falls down onto a green ground. The fall is heavy, it hurts, and she lets out a grunt from throbbing her front starts to suffer. The scent of fresh grass and dirt fills her half-squashed nostrils. There is now enough room to move. There is enough air for her _breathe_ …

"Are ya happy now? Look what a mess ya have created! What were ya thinking, ya stick-for-arms!"

Parsley's breath hitches, muscles grow rigid once more. She doesn't dare to move, despite the fact that now the grass is growing suffocating and itches her face. Still, her hearing is working, and the shuffling of clothes is as loud as a pair of drums. Her heartbeat rises.

"What? They are both fine! They aren't dead, and she has finally let go of her misguided teachings!"

There is ice, it spreads inside her veins. Hot and cold waves drain down almost all energy she has to move her head. Through curtains of her hair, she sees a figure standing just over her frozen body. Long robe, covering the feet underneath and an end of a wooden staff.

She can hear it. That tingle-like voice that is as high pitched as a little girl's. The _fluttering_ of thin wings is like listening to an insect fly around the place. Both sounds are equally piercing, and a new kind of sensation takes over Parsley. Like whatever had grabbed a hold of her, it spreads like vines from her back to her side until all of her is covered in it. The sensation soon morphs into emotion and it sends another wave of awareness all over her body. Her hands on both sides of her head twitch from instinct. She can only barely smell the grass she is laying on anymore. _The fairy, she is the one who…_ Her fingers dig into the dirt beneath painfully.

A wet nose touches her temple. Parsley freezes only for a few seconds before seeing and recognizing a pair of golden eyes. However, now that they are really close, she can see hints of amber near the pupil. They are divided into smaller lines that seem even darker than the previous ones…

He gives her nose one lick, snapping her out of whatever trance she was in. "Are you alright?"

"S-sphynx," she blinks, few unshed tears frozen in her eye sockets freed and sliding down her cheeks. Her hazel eyes look at his in lost thought. The relief is there, inside her chest and tears nearly surface again when she can process the fact that her friend is alright. However, her tongue remains limp and doesn't move. Her whole mouth feels dry all of sudden.

Her chest feels tight. Not from relief anymore, though. She had almost smiled just now, but even that died on her face. Sphynx notices the sudden change and tilts his head, one ear twitching. Parsley bites her cheek and lowers her gaze down to the ground. The ends of green grass seem much more interesting suddenly. She doesn't even consider glancing her small friend. Instead, her eyebrows knit together, and a strange look passes on her face. It comes from a mix of different emotions and not positive ones either.

"I… I am…" she trails off. Speaking has made her stomach flip over.

She shouldn't be feeling like this. After all, she had saved Sphynx and herself from those men. _I did it._ She had felt so proud when the spell didn't end up being a failure like she had feared and dreaded. _I should be_ _ **happy**_ _._ But was she is feeling is far, very far, away from that emotion.

She feels horrified and ashamed.

 _What have I done?_

The rules, the ones every person learning magic should carefully follow and fulfill to their best ability are the key concepts to become a respectable person in magical society. There isn't much to remember. Just a few simple conducts that are very easy to follow. They are all taught since the beginning of childhood and are expected to be followed. Anyone could go through with them under normal circumstances… Yet, she was not in one of those normal ones. Everything has been absurd, unnatural and foreign. Not to mention she had feared for her life just now. Nothing makes sense anymore. The fish-like man, those red eyes that spin with dark markings, those headbands, all those moments tied up in that chair, going through more and more horrifying interrogation processes over and over again. Shouldn't she be mad at this point? She has been gone through so many things, seen so much that doesn't make sense. The unnatural feels like it is becoming her only reality.

 _That is right…_ She hadn't ever really felt that the M-COP was on her back. But now, its missing presence leaves her cold. If it had truly been the thing restricting her powers, then she didn't want it to be gone. For… _I have_ …

Her body is trembling. The warm clothes provide no protection and her teeth chatter together. _I am…_ A large lump blocks her voice and airway in her throat. It hurts but becomes numb compared to what is happening in her head and heart.

She has become a criminal.

The images of her and her family shatter. The years of studying and learning shatter. Everything is becoming merely small shards of memories that are now consumed by self-loathing and shame. How could she live a normal life now? There is no way she could return to the society with a clean conscious! She has now been marked by an invisible ink that will never be washed away.

Her hands have curled into tight fists and she watches as one tear falls down on top of the right one. Had there really no other option for her at the time? She had been panicking, but… it still does not make it right. She had used the magic around her and not her own to succeed. _Why? Why did this have to happen?_

Sphynx doesn't say anything when he leans closer to her. The side of his face is touching hers and the warmth seeping out of him causes more tears to fall. Parsley whimpers softly but doesn't lean back to him. He knows what she has done and what she is weeping over.

"Hey, you human. What are you crying over, huh?" The fairy's voice is now much closer, and it sends a jolt all over Parsley's body. "You finally used a spell correctly; shouldn't you be happy?"

Her trembling has stopped. She is like a statue and doesn't breathe. The tears have frozen on her face and she stares at the ground with wide eyes. Her lower lip drops slightly, barely noticeable movement. Sphynx leans away.

"Leave the lass alone. She has had more than enough with ya pestering her."

A huff. "I have not pestered her."

Very slowly, Parsley starts to stand up. Her first goal is to get into a sitting position, then she starts to put more strength into her feet and hands. The muscles in them are still trembling a little, but that does not stop her nor slow her down. Her breathing is calm, if not a bit uneven. Her gaze is more than steady, though. The ground beneath her feet seems to grow more distant the further she is rising. It happens in sync with her heartbeat that even drums inside her ears.

When she is on her full height and standing steadily on her feet, Parsley's hazel eyes rise up to meet a pair of green ones. They stare back at her, showing pretty much no emotion and the same could be said about the wrinkled face. The mage stays quiet, mouth in a thin line – she has a thin mouth, to begin with. However, instead of lowering her gaze, Parsley keeps it on her before turning it to the fairy who is flying just next to them. Hazel clashes with blue.

The fairy has a sour face, as always. Her locks frame that small face of hers like canvas… Parsley wishes to rip it off.

"…hy?"

The fairy frowns. "What?"

The human woman takes in a shuddering breath. "W-why…" she shakes her head, before a twisted expression forms on her face. "W-w-why? Why, why did you do it?"

"Parsley," Sphynx calls out softly, whispering and there is a worry in his tone.

She can't look at him. In fact, Parsley ignores her familiar and takes a step closer to the flying menace. "Do y-you… have any idea what happened to us?"

"Of course," the fairy says nonchalantly. "I was watching. Congratulations."

"…" Parsley doesn't say anything. She knows that her face can tell more than a thousand words right now. Her brows are knitted together and form an angry frown – a glare. Her hands are shaking while being clenched into fists and her nails dig into the skin. It hurts.

"Congratulations?" She repeats and feels how something overboils somewhere. "On – on what, exactly?"

Blue eyes roll. "What do you think? You have finally accepted your true nature and asked for power. You can finally let go that silly law that your people invented."

Parsley's eyes burn. "Don't… don't take that l-law lightly… It i-is important."

"Oh, and why is that?" The fairy asks mockingly, looking exasperated. "Just because magicians said so? Just because you are trying to be a good girl and act upon those rules? Just because your parents fed you those lies?"

"Shut up. Don't talk about my parents," she isn't screaming, and that is frightening. She is downright trembling, but her voice stays calm as a calm sea before the storm. Safe for few cracks in words whenever a flare in her gut makes it waver. "Y-you… h-hate humans, r-right?"

"…" Now, it is the fairy's turn to stay silent. Her cold gaze does not melt or shatter from the question.

"Is that why you did this? To frighten us? To _kill_ us? Because… if you did…" she tries to gather her thoughts while continuing talking. Parsley is in the middle of crying, breaking and screaming her lungs out. She doesn't like these emotions. They are making her vision become blurry and blind. She is seeing red and feels like hot iron is being poured down on her from the inside.

The magician wants the fairy to feel this. She wants her to try comprehending how to act and shield herself from words that hurt more than a knife to a heart. Parsley wants this magical creature to become mad with rage that it would _tear_ her apart.

"If you did… t-then you are no better… t-than a h-human having a tantrum over a stupid resentment."

She doesn't see it coming. At first, she really doesn't see how roots shoot up from the ground and twist around her until they tighten and squeeze the air out of her body. Parsley gasps. The rough wood digs into the skin around her neck and head, preventing any kind of movement. It feels tighter than the red-eyed man's hold, and she chokes harshly. The roots have squeezed every possible airway shut and are now in progress of crushing her bones. Parsley would scream if she could. Sphynx is doing it for her, though. She can hear him in panic as clear as day.

 _It is_ _ **your**_ _fault._ Her eyes are shut tightly as she lets the roots wrap tighter. It is not clear if she is blaming the fairy or herself for being foolish. _I would still be a magician if it weren't for…_ The roots are now covering half of her face. She can only breathe properly through her mouth, but it is even harder with the wood digging into the skin of her neck. Even if her eyes are closed, stars and spots dance across her blind vision.

The fairy had indeed been watching what had happened to Parsley and Sphynx. The human woman now knows what those roots have been about. The fairy had wanted her to run into those men, she had wanted her to get caught and she had wanted them dead. And now, she is finishing the job, apparently.

Parsley doesn't get to panic when the roots loosen around her almost as soon as they came.

She falls down to her knees, coughing and gasping for breath greedily. Sphynx is back at her side immediately and his paw is placed on her shoulder supportively. How could she ever take air for granted, if these kinds of experiences keep on happening in a row? Through the ringing in her ears from the fast-flowing blood, she hears two voices bickering.

"Enough!" The mage yells, her voice echoing across the forest around her. "Ya two need to stop getting under one another's skin! Bickering like a pair of bickering brats that ya two are."

"Shut up, old witch! Don't interfere! I ought to teach this mortal a lesson!"

"I bet that yar sisters ought to teach ya a lesson as well, once they hear what ya have done. Ya think ya are one good lil' fairy, don't ya? Well, ha! Ya certainly have proved otherwise. I think the lass spoke some sense, after all."

A bristle. "She deserved whatever those men were about to do to her!"

"Oh, so _now_ ya admit that ya were only doing it for satisfaction," the mage sneers, looking ready to continue, but pauses, when Parsley stands up. "Lass, ya okay enough to walk?"

Parsley holds back a sardonic laugh. The only thing that is even really hurting is her neck, so of course, she can walk. However, her muscles ache because of the tight hold the roots had had on her. She can still feel the spots where the wood had scraped against her skin harshly – they feel warm and sting. The young woman fears that there might be a wound for a second, but then her thoughts are drifting away to another subject. She starts to feel sick from it.

 _I have become a criminal. There is no reason for me to blame a magical creature. I could have died instead. There was that choice, but I chose_ _ **this**_ _in the end. What should I do? What can I do to make things right? S-should I turn myself in – no. There are no officers here. Nobody can put me behind bars nor judge me… b-but what will happen after I return? They – they place a death sentence on mages, right? So… that is what will happen to me, right? I will be sent to death, just like that? B-but it was the fairy's fault for getting us into that situation!_ Her hands shaking, Parsley runs them through her hair that is covered in sweat from the roots. Her vision isn't focused on anything. _Just because I wanted to_ _ **live**_ _, I am a criminal now? Won't my sentence be lightened just a bit? It was a life and death situation… What choice did I have? I am a_ _ **victim**_ _here. I did nothing_ _ **wrong**_ _. Nothing, nothing,_ _ **nothing**_ _wrong. I did_ _ **not**_ _want to die, that is not a crime._

A violent shudder goes down her spine. She recalls those cold red eyes and the razor-sharp teeth. Her stomach flips over and clenches. Parsley wonders how anything or anyone could look and act so inhumanly. Those men who had first taken her are no better. Yet, she still doesn't understand the mindset of the people from this world. Which fate would be worse, though? Dying back at home from breaking the law, or dying here as a prey for those headbanded people?

The area on her back, where the sealing mark had been, feels like it throbs. Parsley isn't so sure if she wants it back or not. Because, if she had had it, then that water spell from earlier would have been too impossible for her to accomplish. And also, she would have been drained dry from magical energy.

"Lass!" the mage calls more loudly, snapping the younger woman out of whatever trance she had been in.

Without realizing it, Parsley had started to pull on her hair. And only now back in reality, does she feel how painful it is. Her fingernails are digging into the scalp and she loosens her hold stiffly. She raises her hazel eyes to meet the old woman's.

"Ya okay enough to walk?"

Instead of answering, Parsley gives a small nod. Then, her eyes trail towards the fairy, who narrows her small ones with that already familiar coldness in them. "What? Is there something else you want to spit at me?"

 _Her tone,_ it is so defensive. Despite showing how she can control nature so easily, the fairy doesn't make any signs or movements to show that she is ready to do it again. It would happen so easily, too.

The human woman simply stares at the small creature before shaking her head and then turning her gaze away from it. The fairy starts saying something with an angry tone, but she doesn't pay attention to it. It is so strange. She can't feel anger anymore, which is also strange – _no._ The magician already gets the reason why – there is nobody else to be blamed for the bruises around her neck, but herself.

Sphynx watches his mistress and friend silently.

The two women and one cat start walking, all covered in silence thicker than the woods. Parsley stays inside her thoughts, not noticing the atmosphere changing around her. Her gaze is solely focused on the ground, but she doesn't look like she is noticing it either. Her orbs are clouded and so is her mind. It buzzes with thousands of thoughts and images.

* * *

"My, I see that ya are getting a hang of it." Parsley flinches, her concentration wavering and causing the ball of water fall down to the wooden ground. However, instead of getting upset by the fact that her floor is ruined, the mage barks out a laugh. "Ya sure are jumpy!"

Parsley is still in shock from her sudden entrance and looks down at the soaked floor. "S-sorry."

"What are ya apologizing for?" The old woman asks, humor gone from her tone. She waves her hand once and soon the water evaporates. "There. Easy to fix. Once you have fully become comfortable with using this kind of magic around you, it becomes as easy as breathing."

The magician becomes as still as a board, her lips thinning into a line. Her eyes look to the side, meeting her cat's golden ones. His right ear twitches, but neither of the two say anything.

However, their silence is too obvious, and the mage raises an eyebrow. "What? Ya still bothered by what happened?" Another silence tells her more than enough and she lets out a huff. "Listen, ya can't help it. Ya have gone through worse than what happened today. In fact, ya are lucky that they didn't kill ya then and there."

Sphynx jumps on his feet. "You don't have to say it out loud. We already know."

Parsley continues staying silent, recalling the horrifying moment of being choked. She can still see how her cat friend was flung into the air like a piece of trash and it makes her stomach hurt. Goosebumps rise on her limbs and she swallows a tight lump in her throat. She has already cried today so much that her eyes are now so raw that blinking is almost painful. They feel too dry as well. But now that she is remembering those two men – she can't decide if they were even humans – she can feel some burning in her eyes for the hundredth time. Although, it only lasts about a moment.

"Yes," she mutters under her breath. Her next sentences are clearer. "I-I know that… But w-why… why did they want to kill us?"

She raises her eyes to meet the green ones that look at her with sharpness in them. "Because they are scums on earth. All of them. Ya ever meet someone with a headband anywhere on their person, be as unnoticeable as possible and never look back."

Parsley's lips become a thin line again. "So, they wanted to kill us without… a reason?"

The old mage shrugs. "That lot always come up with reasons to harm people. All ya need to know, that they can kill ya without a hesitation."

"But…" she tries to gather her thoughts, "just why? W-what are they? Are they using magic as well?"

"Magic? Bah! Ya must be pulling my leg here, lass! What they use is far from magic!" The old woman chuckles without any amusement.

Sphynx actually looks interested and tilts his head. "It is true that I couldn't really smell or sense any magic on them. What is it, then?"

The mage doesn't answer immediately. She walks towards a chair near the window, limping and holding her staff firmly, before slumping down with a sigh. Her wrinkles fade slightly when her eyes are closing and return when she opens her eyelids. However, instead of looking at her guests, she looks out of the window, seeming to be lost in thoughts for a second. Parsley starts to think that the question is a favorable one but relaxes when the wrinkly old mouth opens.

"They call it 'chakra'. In similar ways to magic, it is their energy. Both in the body and the nature around them. But don't ya two dare to ever think it is the same as our magic. It is a twisted version of it. One that we can never control. Still, it can be as powerful as any magic spell depending on the user. But…" there is a glint in her sharp eyes, as they turn to look at Parsley, "the magic we use, can be even stronger and more powerful than theirs."

The magician's – no, she can't call herself that anymore – eyes widen, and her mouth turns dry. The very idea to be able to win against those otherworldly people… it sends a sensation throughout her body. Yet, her hands start to tremble slightly, and she can feel prickles of fear settling into her own gut. Just how strong mages can be?

The wrinkled old face of the woman sitting near the window lowers and her greyish white hair pulls down like a curtain to shield her expression from the world. "And that is why we are feared by the people in this world."

The young woman raises her head a little. "Pardon?"

"Ya heard me," she grunts.

A third silence settles into the room but is broken, when the mage pulls out a pipe from her large sleeve and snaps her fingers once. A flicker and then small trails of grey smoke rise from the pipe's end. She ignores the look the younger woman and her familiar are giving and starts smoking and blowing puffs of clouds from her mouth. Soon, a bitter smell fills the room.

Parsley has never liked the smell of smoke. She can only tolerate it so far when her father does it and that is usually when he has had a stressful day. That is why she feels a bit nostalgic, as she keeps on watching the smoke rise and smells it. Though, her face wrinkles a bit from that act. Sphynx's furry feature form a similar feeling on his furry face.

"That is why," the mage stands up and limps to the door, "ya have to get stronger if ya ever want to survive. I will not live forever, ya know. And when I die ya have to either survive in this magical forest by yarself or go out into the world. Yar choice."

"What about going home?" Parsley asks quietly, her voice nearly wavering. The woman makes it sound like she has to stay in this world forever.

"Ya would need to find a source of power strong enough for the spell to work," the mage pauses at the door. "Also, ya need a correct spell for it. With a wrong one, there will be serious consequences."

Parsley frowns and starts to feel worried about her and Sphynx's future. She takes a small step forward. "Can… can you help us? Please."

"Why are ya saying nonsense again?" The old woman is frowning deeply and sends a nervous wave through Parsley's body without probably knowing it. However, the young woman's shoulders relax, and her face brightens from the mage's next words: "I already told ya that I will help. Now, go to bed and don't make a racket. I am tired enough as it is."

The door closes, and soon as it does Parsley collapses on the bed. She feels like tons of bricks have been placed on and off from her. Now, she only can experience exhaustion and rolls on her side with a heavy sigh. Sphynx jumps and settles next to her, looking just as drained as he yawns, showing the canines. Parsley smiles from this and starts stroking his back. He doesn't mind and purrs.

And that is them, just laying on the bed like nothing abnormal has happened. Which of course, is far from the truth. Neither of the two can stop thinking of the things that have happened. Parsley doesn't know about her cat – in her eyes, he rarely lets things bother him for too long compared to her – who has closed his eyes and looks ready to fall asleep. Her eyes are getting heavy as well.

"Parsley," Sphynx's voice makes her eyes snap open. His eyes are half-open, and he is staring at the end of one of her amber brown locks. "I am sorry. I couldn't protect you."

Her lower lip drops and for a while, Parsley doesn't know what to say. She stares at her friend in surprise. The last thing she had expected to be bothering him would be what happened today. After all, they are both alive and she is not injured… _No, that is not right. My neck is still hurting._ Letting a breath through her nose, she closes her eyes before leaning in and landing a soft kiss on the side of his head. His fur is soft, and she can smell a light scent of grass on it.

"It is alright," she whispers softly with a very small smile. "Let's just sleep, now."

Sphynx isn't satisfied, obviously, and says: "I am supposed to keep you safe."

"And you are. I would be much more afraid without you," Parsley yawns, now truly wanting to let the sleep take her over. She is getting tired from hearing this subject, especially from her best friend. She doesn't want to remember what happened today.

"…We are going back home. And we will get an M-COP on you again."

His declaration shocks her and makes her open her eyes again. He is now looking at her with glowing eyes in the shadow of the room. The gaze is intense and full of determination. It continues to surprise her further. "You…"

"I believe what the mage said about it being a limiter to be true. And honestly, it is disgusting," he growls out, showing off his canines, but continues with a calmer tone. "But you can't obviously live in our world without it. If someone back at home were to find out what has happened so far with the mage and that your mark has been removed… You know what will happen."

She lowers her gaze, biting her inner cheek. "Yes," she pauses, feeling the weight of his words settle in. "Do you think I can still become a magician?"

"Of course," his answer is immediate. "We _are_ going home, and you can become anything you want, Parsley."

 _Become anything I want, huh?_ She smiles, finding comfort in those words in the middle of this dark place called another world. And like the time when she was down from the results of her application to a magical university, she chooses to trust her familiar. But, just like during that time, there is a doubt in her mind.

She fights to crush it. _We_ _ **will**_ _go home._ A single tear trails down her cheek from the slight taste of hope.

* * *

" _YOU LET THE HEATHEN GET AWAY!?"_ The scream echoes around the large space harshly. It is like someone has fully screamed into a megaphone and now it pierces every person's ears in an instant. The perpetrator doesn't seem the least bit bothered, though. In fact, an angry glare from intense magenta shaded eyes intensifies and a vein pulses on their forehead. _"What the hell!? There were fucking two of you and yet you couldn't-"_

" _Shut up, Hidan. Learn to keep your mouth shut, for once,"_ Kakuzu growls out, his ears ringing from the sheer force of his partner's yelling.

Now, the silver-haired man's attention is on the older man. _"Give me a break, you old fucker! Like you aren't pissed as well!"_

Rather, the Jashinist can easily name a few in the area who are also displeased. The whole place is covered in tension and glares are exchanged between all of the members. When they had been called to this meeting all of sudden, they hadn't been expecting this type of news. Usually, these meetings are kept for reporting about missions and such, even talking about capturing Jinchuuriki was more expected. But now that things are clearer for every single one of them the reactions are foreseeable. And even though few are not physically present, they sure wish it. Those that are now contemporary in the meeting location have their chakras spiking.

Kisame and Itachi take all the anger and frustration on without a problem. They are one of those who are being only projected to the meeting with a jutsu. Otherwise, the mist ninja is certain that a fight would break out between him and the priest that is sending death glares to his and Itachi's direction. He merely answers to it with a smirk. Of course, this pisses Hidan off even more and causes his angrily gritting teeth to be heard all over the place. The Uchiha remains expressionless throughout the whole ordeal.

Everyone is on the edge, mostly those who weren't there to witness the person who Itachi and Kisame had confronted. And that includes the leader who is also not showing any expression on his face.

" _Itachi, you don't have anything else to report,"_ it is a statement, _"so we will discuss our next action."_

" _I say we will find and gut the wench,"_ Hidan growls with pure malice on his tone. Bloodlust easily gushing out from him like a cloak.

Pein doesn't even blink. _"First, we should confirm her location. Zetsu, I trust the investigation to you."_

There is no answer, only a flickering and fading image of one of the members. The said plant-like man is already on it and no other words need to be exchanged. In fact, Zetsu has had similar thoughts to Hidan's, despite obviously not holding any kind of positive opinions on him. He is one of those who is harboring a desire for a payback.

" _Kisame, Itachi, I want the two of you to give me all of the information on the woman's abilities."_

The light blue-skinned man's smirk widens from the order. _"Can't pretty much say anything else, but that she is strong and shook us off. She only used one water jutsu and it was enough."_

" _Only one attack? Man, you two must be still suffering from chakra exhaustion, hm,"_ Deidara smirks as well from the dark.

Itachi merely blinks, unaffected by his mocking words. _"That water jutsu created a massive tsunami and the water reached around more than two miles from the casting location. However, neither Kisame or I sensed any kind of charge of chakra coming from her before she attacked. So, her concealing abilities are beyond our understanding. It almost appeared as if she didn't use any chakra, to begin with, and she already seemed to have little, to begin with."_

" _No chakra? Ha! Are you sure that you aren't getting rusty, hmm?"_

" _Shut up, brat,"_ Sasori growls, getting annoyed by his commentary and interruption. He is also annoyed by the fact that the person responsible for his temporary pathetic state managed to slip away and especially from two strong criminals. If this person is so strong, then they all should get every small bit of information they can before trying to face them.

" _Anything else?"_

" _She also had a cat with her, but the feline didn't do anything. It was pretty much defenseless and normal animal, despite trying to stand up for its owner,"_ Itachi explains, leaving the part out where the creature tried to maul his partner.

Kisame's smirk twitches and becomes smaller. His lower lip pulls down from the sides from the silent message. Of course, that small furball had to be brought up in this conversation. He is grateful to Itachi for not going to details and knows that he owes him one, but he can't stop a tinge of irritation seeping through him. He manages to keep his chakra in control and does not show his emotions to the other members. Still, he can find a little humor from it. If nobody will stop him, he may as well slaughter the little beast the next time he sees it. Shedding blood from a small creature doesn't sound like much, but it sure would make him pleased.

The rest of the Akatsuki are not focusing their sole attention on an information about a cat. They are thinking millions of ways to restrain their target or kill them right away. They are not amused. Few dark thoughts keep on forming while other minds stay blank and coldly calculative. They do not fully know what their target looks like nor the capabilities she could possess. She is the one who appeared and disappeared from one of their secret hiding place without a trace. That is already a dangerous accomplishment.

In the end, though, she is not their only concern. They still haven't fulfilled their other purpose and Pein opens his mouth to announce it after Itachi finishes.

" _We will wait for three weeks, before starting the extraction of Ichibi."_

 _"What the fuck!?"_ Hidan yells. _"We should go and find the bitch! She is the one who ruined the first attempt on the damn jutsu so she should be eliminated! We all were drained from our chakra! We were put into a state of a normal_ _ **civilian**_ _! I couldn't move for_ _ **days**_ _! And now you are fucking telling us to be prepared for another shot!? Don't shit with me! I haven't been able to do any sacrifices because of this fucked up mess!"_

 _"Hidan, shut up. Three weeks is more than enough time to restore ourselves fully_ _ **and**_ _for you to perform your stupid rituals. So, do not complain,"_ Kakuzu's voice grumbles on a normal volume, despite his partner's shaking the walls.

 _"What did you say!?"_

They were annoyed by his yelling, interrupting and short-temper, but more than half of the members agreed on something with him for once. They would prefer to go after the woman. She is a threat, an obvious one who has proven to be so by ejecting Kisame and Itachi both at the same time. Taking the beasts out of the Jinchuurikis is their main goal, but wouldn't going after the one who had stopped it be more sensible option? Pein should know this, he should understand the logic of it, yet he has given a different order that is against the expectations. Everyone tries to understand why.

In the middle of Hidan's constant cursing, Itachi raises his red eyes to look at the leader. _"Is there a reason why we aren't going after the woman?"_

 _"Extracting the tailed beasts remains our top-priority. Even if the woman were to appear again, we will be ready this time."_

Deidara clicks his tongue, a frown settling on his face. He is disappointed but keeps his opinions to himself. It doesn't seem like anyone has room to complain, to begin with. The leader has given an order and his own view on this. Besides, gathering their strength seems to be important now, as well. Who knows - Deidara smirks - they might actually run into their enemy.

However, once again, Hidan doesn't know when to shut up. His attention jumps from yelling at his partner to the most threatening presence in the whole cave. His temper rises, and he doesn't hesitate to open his mouth. _"Quit screwing with-"_

His sentence ends from a strange, dull sound, and soon after his image flickers and disappears.

* * *

Sphynx opens his mouth wide, letting a yawn stretch the corners of his mouth. His spine curls up and his front paws stretch forward and show off his claws. When he is done, the ears on the top of his head twitch and then he shakes his entire body. His golden eyes rise up half-open, looking at the busy market with obvious tiredness. _It is too early for this._

However, his mistress and a friend looks far from tired next to him. He watches her from on top of a pile of wood and lets out a sigh. She is acting too obvious. Her hands are playing with each other's fingers, she keeps on glancing around with a frown and even her shoulders are raised so high that they nearly meet her ears. He can sense the unease, the fear, and unsureness that radiates from her. Honestly, it is affecting his mood, but this wouldn't be the first time. The old mage is right next to her, sending an annoyed look that clearly tells the young woman to calm down. Despite the glare being sharper than a knife, Parsley continues fidgeting.

Sphynx sighs again, ears drooping. Sometimes, he just can't understand why Parsley worries so much. At least she hasn't started pacing around, like usually.

"Oh, for the love of!" The mage mutters something under her breath which sounds a lot like curses to his ears. She hisses: "Stop drawing attention to us and go and buy the food already!"

The cat can practically see beads of sweat starting to form on Parsley's face as she seems to grow even more nervous. He has a bad feeling about this now.

"B-but what if it doesn't work?" She hisses quietly back, more scared than annoyed. "There are so many people here, too! What happens, if something goes wrong?"

Now, the old woman looks peeved. "What do ya mean 'if something goes wrong'? My spell has been placed and performed perfectly. Ya will be just fine. So… just go already!"

"Ah!" Parsley staggers, when a wrinkly hand pushes her harshly forward.

Sphynx tenses a bit, afraid that she might fall, but Parsley soon is standing straight and freezes in the middle of the road. Like that, she really does start standing out in the middle of the sea of people. Some who are further away don't notice, but those that she nearly collided with and is blocking others way are sending her looks. They are obviously confused why she is just standing there all stiff and unmoving. Her long bangs shadow her face, as she lowers it to the ground and starts moving towards a fruit stand with a small bag in her hands.

The cat has to admit that the new look on her is rather strange. Instead of her amber brown, wavy and long hair, a spell has been cast and now it is straight, black and reaches only to her shoulders. The bangs at the front are long and thick, covering her eyebrows altogether. Maybe to others, she looks normal, but he just keeps on wrinkling his nose in confusion. At least her face and eyes haven't been changed. The same warm hazel and slightly tanned skin are intact.

Golden eyes watch keenly, as the young woman almost reluctantly stops in front of a batch full of what looks like apples. Her chin raises robotically and the older woman behind the stand smiles warmly when she catches Parsley looking to her way.

Ears perked, Sphynx's eyes narrow, his gaze sharpening as he watches his mistress's lips open to form words. He leans forward, attempting to hear what happens next on the other side of the street. He pays no attention to other voices, just his friend.

"U-um, could I have… some apples, please?" Her voice can barely be heard, it is like a whisper and full of pauses.

Still, the woman behind the said fruits smiles wider. "Of course, dear. How many?"

Parsley immediately raises her head and her expression must be one of surprise. Her shoulders that had been rigid and squared, immediately fall and the bag in her hands almost slips out of her grip. Her demeanor does a full change and Sphynx nearly grins from seeing this. She looks so comical and despite not seeing her face, the imagination of it is amusing enough.

"Are you alright, miss?"

The magician in disguise stiffens again. "Y-yes! I would like five, please."

The old woman next to Sphynx lets out a huff. "See? I told ya there was nothing to worry about. Stubborn lass… Hey, cat. Ya keep leaning forward like that and ya will topple over."

The familiar straightens up, his head swishing against the wood on his side. He hadn't almost noticed how far he had moved on the pile. Just a few inches more and he would have really fallen down. At least he can always land on his feet.

"Ya were worried as well?" She asks and for some reason – the spell that was cast on him – Sphynx knows that she is speaking in another language to him. "Goodness. And here I was thinking that ya were the level-headed one."

It doesn't take long for Parsley to return. Her face is flushed, but as soon as she sees her cat familiar, a smile appears on her face with force. His eyes catch a glimpse of how her hands are trembling, but she looks ready to run a marathon and holds the fuller bag with a glow on her whole face. It is clear that all her nervousness is gone now.

"Look! I got the apples!"

The old mage comes in front of her, cutting the smile short and holding out her bony hand to the black-haired woman. "Yes, yes. Now, give me the money."

Hazel eyes blink twice. "What?"

A deep frown appears on the mage's face and she gestures at her hand impatiently. "The money. Ya know, the round coins I gave ya. Don't tell me ya dropped them."

"But," Parsley directs her free hand towards the stand where she was just a minute ago, "the lady took every one of them."

The minute the sentence left her mouth, both she and Sphynx had a look of realization on their faces. She shouldn't have said that and now the old woman's face is slack. Green eyes are wide only for a second before they narrow, and a new color starts to appear on her face rather quickly. A loud: "What!?" comes out of her aged mouth. Her hand around the staff clenches the wood so hard that the knuckles turn white.

Many turn their heads towards them and Parsley stiffens from the sudden attention. Her face flushes and even the cat wishes to be suddenly swallowed by the earth as his ears ring from the loud volume. Still, he gathers quickly why the mage looks so angry.

"There is no fucking way that those things cost that much! Oi! You!" The mage limps rather briskly past Parsley who gladly makes way for her. The people who have stopped also go to the side to avoid the clearly angry elder.

The woman selling fruits sees her advancing closer, directing a look at her and freezes with a sudden uneasy expression on her face. She looks puzzled, but most of all, nervous. Sphynx almost feels bad for her, almost. It is quite clear to him that his mistress was tricked by this same human. He wouldn't have guessed that someone so gentle looking could trick someone to pay more than necessary. The cat is actually starting to look forward to how the mage will handle her.

When he turns his head slightly, hazel and gold eyes meet. Sphynx sees that there is now a frown on his friend's face, but then it morphs into a small, awkward grin. She looks a bit flustered but otherwise fine.

"Wow. Who knew that I would be cheated out of my money so quickly. I guess currency around here is really different."

He blinks and then lowers his voice. "Didn't you listen what Hana said about the money's worth? Also, didn't you read the sign where the prices were? We can read this world's language now, you know?"

"I know that!" She whispers back face flushed, again. "It is… just that I wasn't thinking. I was downright dumbfounded that the spell works, and I asked the lady – Wait," she frowns. "Who is Hana?"

The cat blinks again, watching her before giving her a blank face. She looks confused, but from his next words, her eyes widen. "Oh, yes. I guess she never told you. That is the name of the mage who is obviously picking a fight."

He watches as she turns around, the temporary black locks moving gently with her movements. Together, they look how two old women are engaging into an argument. Both of their body languages indicate extreme hostility and displeasure. The old mage – Hana – even raises her staff in a threatening manner more than once, scaring everyone around her. They originally didn't want to gather any attention on themselves, but she is downright ruining that plan the longer she keeps on raising her voice and ranting.

 _You should have told her your name yourself,_ Sphynx muses mentally and lays down. The sun glaring down at him is making him feel tired again. _That is how building a trust begins._

When he closes his eyes, he doesn't see how Parsley raises her hand and slides the sleeve aside to reveal her inner wrist. There is a dark mark on it and she runs her hand across it only feeling her skin. The shape is that of a pentagram with very small letters on it. An enchantment – one that saves them the trouble of learning how to speak in this world. It is convenient and strange. She has never been given an enchantment like this and now she can understand everything going around her. The words people are speaking aren't foreign or unfamiliar and

Her hazel eyes rise up to see that Hana hasn't stopped yelling at the fruit lady.

 _Thank you,_ Parsley looks away and then at Sphynx. He is breathing steadily, and the sight makes her smile a little. She isn't alone in this.


	11. Chapter 10: And so she goes

_Chapter 10_

 _And so she goes_

* * *

"Granny Tsunade! Why can't I go!?" An angry yell of the blond boy fills the entire building. However, it isn't only the yell that makes the walls and windows tremble and rattle.

The blond woman behind the table tries to keep her calm façade. Which she is poor at doing, giving the fact that a young boy has just yelled and spat on her. Her brow twitches and her lips curl down as she feels the wildly whirling chakra inside her own office crash with hers. It is becoming slightly harder to breathe and even the others in the room look more than a bit uncomfortable.

This should have been obviously coming. There is no way that news like these can be delivered to a foolish knucklehead without getting yelled at by the said person. Even though the person he is giving the piece of his mind is a village leader.

When he doesn't stop yelling, though, Tsunade has had enough. "Will you shut up already!? I say that you are not going and that is final!"

"But-"

"Enough, Naruto!" Sakura finally interferes and punches her teammate on the head. She does it without any clear sign of hesitation and doesn't falter even when he cries out in pain. "I am so sorry, Tsunade-sama.

"Ow! Sakura-chan! What was that for?" Naruto asks, rubbing his sore head. He winces, when she directs a sharp glare at him, though. He lowers his blue eyes to the ground, but then there is a flicker in there. "But… we can't give up on Gaara."

Tsunade looks at his expression for a few more seconds and sees how Sakura's twists, from the corner of her eye. The pink-headed girl's anger has obviously been melted to some extent and her eyes reflect almost the same emotions that her comrade has on his. The room's mood is once again turned down and it weights down on every person in it.

Sighing heavily, the blond Hokage leans back on her chair and inspects the surface of her desk with half-open eyes. There are some cracks and scratches on it from the way she has slammed her own hands down on it, but now it has also marks left by Naruto.

Kakashi steps forward and lays a hand on his pupil's shoulder. "Naruto, I understand that you are worried," he starts calmly, "but considering that this is Akatsuki, we can't take any chances. Especially because you are one of their targets."

Despite hearing a reasonable voice and reason, Naruto's ire boils. He lifts his head with a snap and glares up at Tsunade again. "But we still have to help Gaara! We still have his scent and Kakashi sensei's dogs could-"

"Naruto!" The said silver-haired man raises his voice, cutting off Naruto's next words. When he gains the attention, his voice lowers but remains sharp and firm. "It won't work. It has been days and my summons couldn't track Gaara's scent even back at the cave."

"Then, they should try it again!" The blond boy turns his back to Tsunade and looks up at his teacher fully in his single eye. "We can't all just sit here like he hasn't been kidnapped! He is the Kazekage! Doesn't that give everyone reason enough to help the Sand!?"

"That is precisely why we won't interfere any more than necessary," the blond woman interjects and crosses her arms across her chest.

Naruto whirls around to look at her again. He clearly has a confused and a questioning look edged all over his face, waiting for her to clarify those words. Though at least now his chakra has calmed down Though, it probably won't be that way for too long. Not with this kind of subject at hand.

The whole village is on the edge. There have been many things happening for the past month and they keep on weighting the mind of those who know more – like the council and the Hokage. Tsunade is especially busy because the threats towards her village seem to intensify. More ninjas need to be launched out into missions, few practical and important ones at that. But there is a limit of how many talents can be sent to these assignments… and who. The latter is mostly placed on the Jinchuuriki, of course.

A frown starts to mar her face, again. Tsunade really wishes to have a drink right now. But when she looks back up at the small team, her brown eyes catch a sight of one solid black eyeing her. Like any ninja, he doesn't show what he is thinking, but the Hokage knows that look. He is analyzing her. Trying to figure out what is really going on in this office and between her and this load of work she has been doing. Kakashi isn't blind, and neither are any of his colleagues obvious to the atmosphere. There is something more to all of this than the kidnapping and a prison escape.

Tsunade does not change her expression but does harden her own eyes in a silent warning. He wants information? He can try gathering it at a more proper time.

His chin goes up and down in slight movement; a nod with an agreeing flash in his dark orb.

The blond woman leans back and slides her eyes to Naruto. He is still staring – or maybe even glaring – at her with his palms once again placed flat against her desk. There is _desperation_ in his blue gaze.

 _Only a Jinchuuriki can understand another Jinchuuriki._

That is why, this truth will be hard to swallow, for him.

"It is none of the Leaf's concern."

The moment his shock and rage-filled look appears, Tsunade lowers her eyes on a document in her hand. It is a warrant; an announcement made to alert entire nations to keep their eyes open on a certain someone.

* * *

"Good morning! How may I help you today?" The man is smiling, so brightly despite his one missing front tooth.

Parsley smiles back, a bit forcefully. The muscles around her nose are trying to pull back and wrinkle her expression and she has to fight back that urge. But it is just the strong odor of salt and wishes that turns her stomach around. This just happens to be the first thing she has to buy before heading to get some meat from a butcher's shop. Her hazel can't stop looking at the shiny bodies of the sea creatures lined up for a display. Their huge, round eyes keep on staring emptily at nothing and even few flies move around and land on those unmoving orbs. The young woman's stomach keeps on turning. _Ugh! What is up with hygiene around her?_

Still, the old man keeps on looking so cheery and happy that showing an expression of disgust is impossible. Parsley doesn't hate fish. It is just that this sight and smell is too much for her to bear straight after a heavy breakfast.

Swallowing thickly, she points towards some small fish and raises three fingers, praying that she isn't cringing. "I would like three of those, please."

"Coming right up!"

Compared to her, Sphynx looks up at the fish with hungry eyes, despite the fact that he also ate about an hour ago. Both of his ears are up, tail slightly raised and nose eagerly sniffing the air. His golden eyes are _literally_ twinkling from the fish in front of him.

Parsley nearly rolls her eyes but is a little worried that he might actually bounce on the shop and devour whatever is in it. She kneels down and scoops him up with one hand. The cat lets out a small cry of dismay and his ears drop down from the look he receives from her. He merely gives her a dull one in return and settles on hanging limply at her side.

"Here you go! That will be 1200 yen," the old man hands out a package wrapped around the fish and Parsley hands him the coins. "Thank you, miss! I don't believe you are from around here?"

She shakes her head, already used to these kinds of questions. "No. I am passing by with my family."

"That so? Where – Good morning! Haven't seen you for a while!" He is distracted when a new customer arrives, and she takes this as an opportunity to walk away.

 _Everyone here is so friendly,_ Parsley thinks as she continues passing by the shops. A few days ago, she would have been thinking that they were all nasty, cheaters, money grabbers and brutes, but the young woman has been proved wrong. Her senses are filled with the smell of foods and different products from shops and restaurants. This is nearly no different from the market that she used to go back home. The smiles and scenes are almost so identical and even the sea that twinkles under the sun is the same to the ones she saw every day through the window. Parsley thinks she is walking towards her apartment, for a moment, and has to swallow the tight lump forming in her throat. How she wishes that that could actually be the reality.

Sphynx rises and sits on her shoulder, curling comfortably around the back of her neck, his tail is gently curled around the front.

The woman in a disguise of a black-haired one frowns, finding it a bit uncomfortable to be walking like this. There are so many people and they might notice her because of him being like this. However, she relaxes and tries to act as nonchalant as possible. She will either way return to the forest soon and leave this scenario behind. She won't be remembered by these people, _my eyes are now green, after all._

Suddenly, she spots something floating above flowers in a flower shop. She squints her eyes only to see small fairies twittering around the colorful petals. Unlike the one whom she had first met, these are even smaller ones and their skins are even more transparent. The sound of the small flapping wings is like listening to insects.

" _This flower is so pretty!"_

" _This one, too!"_

" _It is a shame that a human picked them."_

" _It is."_

" _It is!"_

Their voices are like bells – like they are singing what they say. It is both beautiful but sends a chill down Parsley's spine. She can't help but remember that one pair of cold blue eyes glaring deeply into her soul. That one blond-haired fairy hasn't appeared since the last incident where she almost got Parsley and Sphynx killed… but the human woman can't keep herself from getting nervous from just remembering that tiny creature.

Sphynx whips his tail in front of her face, gaining her attention. Parsley looks at him to see him merely yawning and closing his eyes. It is a silent signal, that they should be going. And that is when she realizes that she has stopped to stare at the fairies in the middle of the road.

Quickly, the young woman starts walking again. However, she isn't out of the flower shop's sight, when she spots another fairy on the ground near it. The small thing's wings are drooped, and she keeps on twitching with long hair shadowing her tiny face.

 _Is she sick?_ Parsley's thoughts are cut off when Sphynx swings his tail again. Her brows knit together heavily, and she glances at her friend who doesn't look at her. The message is clear, though, and it makes her stomach turn around more than a pile of stinking fish. There is nothing that they can or should do. So, she will simply have to swallow up her guilt.

Suddenly, something steps in front of the stiff woman and she stops. It is a child, and the small thing is holding out her small and dirty hands up towards her like offering something.

Parsley's eyes nearly bulge out of her skull. _Oh. My. God._

"Could… could I-I have some food, please?" The child asks carefully, begging edge on her tone that makes Parsley's heart nearly shatter.

 _She is filthy,_ and that is a fact. The dark hair is greasy and there are smudges of dirt both on the skin and light brown clothes the girl wears. With her extremely thin frame, she looks like an abandoned and poor orphan. And two pairs of _large_ brown eyes are looking up at Parsley as if she is a saint. _Poor thing._

She glances around, noting how nobody seems to be paying attention anymore, which is heartbreaking. Do they really not care what happens to this child, even a little? Who feeds her? How many others like her are in this small town? Sure, this place isn't as modernized as Parsley's and Sphynx's world, but they should at least have some kind of system to help the deprived… Though, even she is aware of how not everything is as perfect as it seems anymore. _Is there anything else, that the magical government hid from its people?_ There have been few times when she has seen the poor in the non-magical realm through television back in her parents' house. And Parsley recalls it shamefully because she looked away every time.

Back when she had been held captive in that dark room, by those _people,_ all I can mostly recall – _or want to_ – are the sensations of pain, fear, coldness, and _hunger_.

If anyone and she means even one of those men clad in dark clothes, would have given her a piece of any kind of food, she would have definitely devoured that piece of food in a second. But that never happened, and the daydream faded as her body had gotten used to hunger.

Before that happened, though, the starvation had felt agonizing and terrifying.

Sphynx hasn't done anything to signal for her to continue moving, so Parsley takes it as a sign that he also feels remorse.

She reaches out into her basket and pulls out an apple. It isn't much, but the little girl's face brightens like the stars in the sky. Parsley's heart continues cracking, as she crouches down and holds it to her.

"Here. It isn't much, but…" she trails off, not sure how she can make it better.

"Thank you, big sister!" The little girl's smile is so wide that it shows her missing teeth. She takes the apple with shaky hands and bows deeply in a ninety-degree angle.

The disguised woman watches after the child, as she runs between the adults and behind a corner into an alley, dark hair swinging around. However, before disappearing, she turns towards Parsley again and bows deeply for the second time, her dark hair nearly touches the ground. Whether it is because she has been called a 'sister' or that the child is so tragically young, and she has given her only a single apple, but she can feel for the third time how her heart is being moved.

A thought comes to her. _Should I go back and help that fairy, too?_ She doesn't exactly know how, but maybe that little thing also needs food or water. Her wings looked a bit shriveled, so maybe it is because of dehydration?

A brush from the tail around her Parsley's is enough to make her mind pause and her legs move once more. Her head downcast, she looks at her friend who merely shakes his head quietly before lowering it to her drooping shoulder. Despite helping someone, she doesn't feel all that light.

* * *

When Parsley enters the magical forest through the barrier – which literally passes through her like a bucket of water – a shiver goes down her spine. Despite knowing that the whole barrier was there to protect the territory from the crazy people outside, she has come to hate the sensation of walking literally through it. Still, it also makes her feel a tad bit safer.

"Parsley!"

Both the said woman and her cat jump from the sudden call. Their heads whip around to see a young boy standing just a few feet away next to an old oak tree. He is wearing a small smile on his lips, but it widens when his eyes lock with Parsley. He looks positively gleeful and gives her a wide wave with his hand despite being only a short distance away. The wave seems pointless.

The young woman is stiff without even realizing it. Sphynx, though, remains calm and actually dares to jump off from her shoulder and walk towards the small boy.

The boy looks down at the feline and his smile widens. "Sphynx!"

"Hello, Robin," the cat response is nonchalant and without a worry in his tone.

Robin's smile keeps on widening. "I knew you could talk!"

Parsley is sweating while looking between the two. She is torn between taking her friend and running and actually striking up a conversation. This is strange, because the last time the three of them met, the cat had kept his distance. This reaction is too different to that and it makes her nervous. The little boy looks so human, but she knows better, now. He is one of the forest folks who live here in hiding. And the one who had led her in circles through the woods. _What creature is he?_ And would he bring harm to her?

As if wanting to make her worries double, Robin takes steps forward and then crouches down in front of Sphynx who looks up at him curiously. The cat stiffens – Parsley does too – when a small hand reaches out pats the feline's head. The action relaxes the familiar in a second, but the same can't be said about his mistress.

"Parsley, is the outside world nice?" Robin asks, not looking up at the older woman.

She is taken aback by the curious question and doesn't know how to answer it at first. "I… I guess so?" She bites down on her lower lip once, staring down at his crouched form. "Why a-are you here, _Robin_?"

"Are you afraid of me now?" His question causes a silence that is just as tense as the thickness of the forest. He remains calm, though. Just like Sphynx who for some unexplainable reason has started to lean to his touch.

"What are you?" Parsley finally asks arms crossed over her chest while clutching the bag full of ingredients for tonight's dinner.

He blinks, an expression of surprise coloring his features as he looks up. "You don't know? I thought you could sense me…"

"She hasn't trained enough," Sphynx says, earning a pointed look from Parsley, but he ignores it and continues looking at Robin. "I can see it now, though. Well, more like smell it."

"Really? What do you smell?" The young boy asks curiously and smiles again.

Golden eyes blink and Parsley shifts her weight from one leg to another. _What is he thinking?_ They should be returning to Hana's cottage, so they can continue their studies. And honestly, she rather not stay in this area for too long with Robin. Her eyes glance around and manage to catch glimpses of something moving in silence between the shadows, now and then even catching pairs of eyes watching them keenly, only to disappear when she blinks once.

Ever since she started to become a mage and use the magic around her, these creatures have been appearing. One by one, every one of them is more bizarre than the previous one. Some Parsley recognizes from books, some seem familiar, but the rest is shrouded in mystery. It terrifies her, and the shadows seem to grow larger and darker. Parsley clutches the bag closer, her palms sweating.

Hana had told her that this is the result of embracing nature and its magic. It allows them to see the truth of this world, just like how she saw those fairies at the market. But… that does not mean that it is a blessing. If they knew that she now saw them, that means that they knew she could touch them, and they could do the same to her.

"I smell… a young tree."

Parsley flinches violently when the enchantment of disguise on her is suddenly erased. The black and straight strands of hair that only brush her collarbone start to twist into waves and spill over her shoulders. The dark color fades into amber brown until the transformation back to the original length and style stops. If her hair is back to normal, it must mean that her eyes have turned into hazel as well. Her body freezes as she stares widely between her long bangs at the green ground.

The sound of footsteps and shuffling clothes fill the area. "There ya are lass! What took ya so long!"

Parsley blinks and whips her head around. "Hana!"

"No need to yell," the old mage grumbles and stops just a few feet away with a hand on her hip. "Well? Did ya get everything?"

The young woman thinks to answer immediately, but then weakly points to the side. "Do… do you know who this is?"

Hana looks where she is pointing, her brows knit together and shadow her eyes. "Hm? What are ya talking about, lass?"

"This little boy, Robin. Who is…" Parsley turns, about to gesture with two hands at the small person, but freezes when she can only see Sphynx, who in turn lazily flicks his tail. The area where the thin Robin had been just a second ago is completely barren of his presence. Parsley sputters: "B-but he was just here!"

"Don't tell me ya two have gotten into trouble with another creature? Haven't ya learned anything from what happened last time?"

"That is not-"

"Answer my question already. Did you get everything?" Hana asks, cutting Parsley off like she couldn't care less about her next words. She stomps her staff on the ground impatiently. "Come on now, I don't have all day."

 _Can't you listen to me!?_ The magician – no, mage – swallows whatever she hasn't gotten to say. Parsley's hands clench at her sides and she bites down on her lower lip while keeping her gaze on the old face. Her stomach continues dropping from the criticizing looks she keeps on receiving from those green orbs and looks helplessly down at the cat.

He merely looks back at her and then shrugs. "It was probably nothing, Parsley."

Her face slacks in what is close to a disappointment. She had hoped that he would also tell Hana that Robin was here, that she wasn't imagining things. _Why?_ Is what she would like to ask, but her mouth remains zipped. It is frustrating.

Hana gets once again impatient and stomps the staff down. "Well? Do ya have something to say?"

The young woman feels like a child and curls her fingers into fists. "…no."

"Good. Now, show me what ya have got."

Sphynx gives an infuriatingly mysterious smile, canines and eyes gleaming. Parsley frowns, wondering why he has chosen this time to tease her. He knows very well how that kind of expression on his furry face makes her feel. She can't also believe that he merely left this matter unsolved without even showing concern what that little boy might have been. Unlike him, she feels anxious and curious to know and, of course, more than a bit concerned.

Suddenly, a wooden staff meets with her head and Parsley yelps. Hana is giving her an irritated look. "Where is the fifth apple!? I asked for five and there are only four!"

"Y-you," Parsley's mouth trembles and curls, "you don't have to hit me!"

"Can't ya count, lass!?" Hana hollers, but the way she hits the young woman with the staff is not harsh or violent. Rather, it is a firm tap that leaves the area it collided with throb for a few seconds. "Last time ya got cheated out of yar money and now – Don't tell me ya got cheated again by the fruit lady!? Didn't I tell ya not to buy her stuff again!?"

"N-no!" She quickly shields her head and face with her arms, watching the movement of the staff with wide eyes. An image of the poor girl comes into her mind the moment she sees Hana readying herself for another firm knock on the skull. "I..I…"

 _Should I tell her?_

"Well? Speak up, lass!" Hana calls out impatiently and places one hand on her hip. Her green orbs are piercing and make the younger woman squirm under their gaze.

Parsley glances at Sphynx, who has come closer and hides behind her legs. He looks ready to bounce back and has his ears flat against his head. He looks a bit bothered and his demeanor is almost the same that he has whenever Parsley's mother would scold him.

Not knowing what else to do – if her friend can't help her now – Parsley looks back at Hana meekly. "I… I gave an apple to a child… she was hungry."

The thunderous expression on the elder mage's face melts. It is replaced by a sheer force of blankness in its perfect form and then morphs into a one of shock. Whatever sharp and heated irritation had been bubbling in her is immediately sizzling into smoke and escaping from her eyes. That might sound poetic, but that is how Parsley is seeing the blurriness that seems to appear in those two green eyes. Hana doesn't seem ready to cry, though. Instead, she looks lost but manages to keep her gaze steadily on the young woman's face.

The said young woman starts to feel nervous and stares with absolute puzzlement back at her. There is a thick silence now in the area and even the wind doesn't seem to blow past the trees. The hazel-eyed woman doesn't understand or know what this means and glances nervously to the side and back to the withering face of her mentor. The strange look has not melted.

 _Why is she looking at me like that?_

It is almost as if Hana isn't seeing Parsley anymore, but a completely new person… or creature. And finally, it dawns to the auburn-haired mage and she feels her heartbeat hammering inside of her chest from the nervousness building up inside her chest. Honestly, she feels as if an outrageous outburst from the old woman could be far better than this silent stare.

Hana is looking at her as if she is crazy.

"What…" the dry lips finally breathe out, wheeze and close and open again, "were ya _thinking_?"

The long robe brushes loudly against the grass filled ground and Parsley takes a slight step back when the old woman keeps on approaching.

She doesn't look angry, though. Only shaken. It is obvious when she reaches out a bony and trembling hand. Long nails scrap against the side of Parsley's arm as they grip it firmly – she winces from the sensation of the thin bones but doesn't try backing away anymore. Still, she feels nervous again and swallows thickly.

Parsley gasps, when she is pulled close to Hana's face. She is so close that she can see her own startled expression on the irises.

"How _could_ ya?" Hana asks with the same breezy and raspy voice. "Do ya have any idea what kind of mistake ya have made?"

The wooden staff drops and now Parsley is being shaken by two hands. She is paralyzed and wants to wretch herself away, so she tries to pry the bony limbs off, only to have them hold onto her tighter. "Ow! Let go of me!"

"Ya must listen to me, lass," Hana continues, clearly ignoring her distressed voice in what looks like a hazed expression on her wrinkled face. "Do _not_ ever pity them. Do _not_ think any of them as people – as humans."

Parsley's uneasiness grows, as she listens to the old woman's heated words. Hana doesn't raise her voice, but there is a peculiar undertone in it. If there was a way that tone could be described more specifically, it would be between the borderline of venom and seething and quiet anger.

"Hey! I think that is enough!" Sphynx calls out from the ground, but even his words fall to deaf ears.

Hana shakes Parsley again, pulling her so close that the young woman can smell the odor of the breakfast from this morning. "Do ya understand? Huh? Are ya listening to me, lass? Anyone out there is a killer in disguise. They will hunt ya down, torture, lock you into a dark room again…"

The hazel-eyed woman flinches violently, getting a very cold shiver down her spine. The old woman has hit where it hurts and frightens the most. Where the scars have laid their deepest roots.

The mage sees her reaction – the shiver, the goosebumps on the slightly tanned skin, the obvious fear in the hazel eyes and a sharp inhale – and her eyes widen. "Yes! Ya, understand, right? This world isn't like ours; it is much crueler than yar home. Every child ya see can be trained to be just like those headbanded people. They will be trained to have the same set of skills, they will end up _tearing_ us apart and hunting us all down like wild animals! Ya have seen it all with yar own eyes! But they do much worse if they wanted to! No doubt that ya wouldn't be alive if ya had stayed behind bars for a day longer! Ya are afraid, but why do ya act like a foolish and naïve child and trust anyone!? Huh!?"

"Stop it already!"

Hana is now downright screaming into Parsley's face and Sphynx growls and hisses up at her. However, the young woman who is listening intensely remains immobile, not feeling anything, not seeing anything. The whole world is spinning and twisting before her.

Something is burning her eyes.

She can already see herself standing in the middle of that horrifyingly familiar room with a table and a chair. Just waiting for her to sit down and be chained once again like an animal.

Being choked, beaten, screamed at… anything horrible memory just comes rushing to her, slowly scraping away that sweet and sad image of a hungry little girl in the market street.

"And ya were foolish enough to help such a thing," Hana whispers, her warm and stinking breath hitting the frozen woman's face. "If those people only knew what we are… do ya think that they will let us be?"

 _Air._

"The fairy was cruel enough… but the people in this place are _monsters_. Weak as ya still are, it is doubtful that ya could survive their wrath."

 _I need air._

"That little girl that ya helped, is just another _murderer_."

There is a buzzing in her ears and she feels nauseous and lightheaded. It doesn't take much more or longer for Parsley's world grow dark.

* * *

When she wakes up, she is back in the hut's medium-sized room that has become officially her bedroom many, many nights before. However, Parsley doesn't get one of those feelings that everything is now fine after getting shut-eye. In fact, she feels dizzy even while laying down on the soft bed and nauseating feeling rolls inside her stomach and chest like a warning from a bile that is about to rise up. There is no such thing as the bright light inside the room, but she wishes it to be darker, so she can hide from the world.

Very slowly, groggily, Parsley sits up and jolts from seeing a dark form laying just nearby her legs. She relaxes after realizing it to be her familiar.

However, as if sensing that she has awoken, Sphynx's ears twitch and his eyes flutter open. Lazily, his small head rises from atop of his paws and a large yawn stretches his mouth, showing his white canines quite clearly in the dark.

When the human woman doesn't say a thing or comment on his awakening, the cat merely stares back, clearly wanting her to be the one to start speaking… or he just simply doesn't know what to say. The latter reason makes Parsley's stomach drop and she brings her knees close to her chest.

It feels like there is a rock inside her head. It intensifies when she recalls the recent events like a broken record. Everything happens in different order.

"Was I wrong?" She finally asks quietly and rests her chin on top of her knees.

Sphynx doesn't say anything, but then he lets out a heavy sigh. "Do you regret helping her?"

Now, it is Parsley who doesn't say anything. Her mind is gaining weight the more she tries to think of ways she could have acted differently, of things she could have missed from the shrouds of her empathy and pity.

"There was a fairy…" she says and then closes her eyes heavily. "Sphynx… Who," she pauses and buries her face into her arms, shoulders shaking lightly, "just who am I supposed to trust?"

For a moment, Hana had seemed so scary. She knows what Parsley and Sphynx have gone through, yet, she had brought up the very subject that terrifies her immensely. And the young woman can't shake off the memory of the chill she had felt.

She can't take this anymore. Parsley barely knows a thing of what is going on in this place and she fears that everything she has gained from this crazy world is just a scrap to the surface of its reality. There could be something worse lurking around and Hana's words keep on haunting her now. She had claimed that that one little girl _– how could she know? –_ she hadn't been present at the time it happened – could have been a killer or a would-be one. Parsley just wants to crush those words and forget it all. She can't bear the image of it but instead of small hands holding an apple, she starts picturing a dark knife.

 _What bad could one apple do?_ She doesn't understand why Hana had exploded like that. Sure, the people of this world don't speak English, the two women and a cat have to use spells to understand and have to hide in a magical forest, and not to mention what horrors these natives had Parsley go through…

 _Don't think about it._

She inhales sharply and lays down, desperate to get to sleep through the entire night. She covers her face with her hands, nearing the point of breaking down in tears as her shoulders tremble more violently. _This place is…_

An image of red eyes, dark cloaks, then light blue skin and razor teeth flash behind her shut eyelids.

Parsley shivers and hugs herself tightly, completely ready to ask Sphynx to perform a sleep spell which would send her to a coma for a couple of days.

"Parsley, do you want to eat something?"

The easygoing question is enough to push away almost every worry that she has, and her hazel eyes look up to see Sphynx right in front of her face. Their noses are lightly brushing against each other and his eyes peer deeply into hers, not judging, asking too deep questions, but just asking an everyday one. It is somewhat relieving, and Parsley finds herself actually thinking more about it than whatever else had been weighing her mind. Or it could be that her mental state is doing this naturally to protect her.

Without being able to resist, the young woman rubs hers against his colder one playfully.

"…a little?"

"Then, let's go to the kitchen," he says and jumps over her laying form and then down from the bed easily.

Frowning, Parsley turns around and sits up. "But, won't we wake Hana?"

His ears flatten against his head. "Trust me. I know she is a deep sleeper. Her snoring is a proof of that."

It isn't a laugh that comes out of the novice mage, but a small amused twitch of lips can be good enough for now. She stands up, taking a note how her shoes are still on and kicks them off to walk on bare feet across the wooden floor.

"Plus, I sort of miss how you used to whine about the weight you had."

Her face flushes and she directs her glare to where she can see a faint glow of gold. "Sphynx!"

* * *

After all of that, few times that Parsley and Sphynx went to a town, it was never the same as the ones before. Constantly changing location, like the forest's portal couldn't stay still in one place for too long. Every village was different but had similarities, yet the young woman can't shake off the feeling that there is a reason for all of this change. It is unsettling, but she hasn't opened her mouth or asked Hana concerning this.

However, she may be putting pieces together after the fourth day and after walking through yet another village. The crowd is small and there is barely people around when she walks through a market street.

Here comes another factor Parsley has taken into count; every village she has been since the day she gave that one apple to a poor girl is either small or filled with little amounts of people. But the most significant feature could be that there are ragged looking poor individuals' lines on the sides raising their thin and dust-covered hands for even slight coin.

Even now, as she is as far away as possible, the beginning sounds are loud, and her stomach flips around. She has the money, she has the food, and even though there is no way she could help every person, another small fruit or vegetable couldn't hurt anyone… _right?_

Meekly, Parsley glances slightly to her left to see Hana walking calmly beside her. However, her leaf green eyes turn sharply to look at the young woman, as if knowing what she is thinking. There is a clear word on her features and it is screaming loudly for Parsley not to even think about going through her thoughts.

Sphynx snuggles closer to the crook of her neck, fully wrapped around it like a safety blanket. It works on calming his mistress to some level, but not enough to put her at ease. Even he has had to notice what is different now.

Hana has been keeping her eyes on her more intensely than ever before. Before any of this, she would merely leave Parsley and Sphynx on their own, mostly. But, now, the old woman is literally everywhere; when the young mage is practicing her magic, she is there; when Parsley is going shopping every day, she is there; when the hazel-eyed woman goes out to simply practice magic or get some fresh air, Hana asks where she is going, why and then comes along. It all leads to a point of being absolutely creepy and worrisome.

 _She is just being worried… right?_ Parsley has tried to find an explanation on her own and stay open-minded, but she is currently frightened of the old woman with long hair far more than she had been at the beginning of their meeting for the first time.

Her skin crawls, when she is suddenly grabbed by Hana and pulled to another street. The old woman hasn't spoken this whole time but made gestures or pulled Parsley along instead. Whether she knows that these actions make her very uncomfortable remains a mystery.

Still, Parsley feels as if Hana is… _tormenting_ her on purpose.

Something tugs on her long dress and the amber-brown haired woman freezes on her spot. She looks down to see a little girl – so skinny that the bones of the collarbone stick out – who looks up at her pleadingly.

"Please, can I have some food?"

Something blocks Parsley's throat and her lower lip drops as if she is ready to say a fatal word. This small child's begging eyes pierce her chest and she is very much tempted to reach out into her basket and take out a piece of cooked meat she bought.

However, a very sharp tug makes her stumble and follow the obviously smaller elder forward. Although, they do not disappear to another street immediately, not before hazel eyes catch a glimpse of a broken expression on a small pale face.

The comfort of Sphynx's warm fur around Parsley's neck loses its effect.

"Why?" She finally asks, but Hana does not stop dragging her along. This makes a boiling sensation gather inside Parsley's chest.

She doesn't get any of this. Everything this old mage has done has gone from a point of unnatural to totally bizarre. It is understandable that Hana may have lived longer here and thus seen more things – some even worse – than Parsley has, but to her young eyes, it almost seems as if the elder woman had sneered at that one little and weak girl.

Having had enough already, she is finally freed after a violent tug from her side and takes a step back. Luckily, they have stopped in a middle of a silent street. "Why couldn't I have helped her? She was hungry! What is-"

"Not a word from ya, _**lass**_."

All the words get stuck in her throat when Hana whirls around.

Sphynx stiffens on Parsley's shoulders, she can feel his tenseness and can relate what he feels. There is such _anger_ on a wrinkled old face that it is alarming. The black pupils are large, and the color green is barely visible. The thin mouth is curled into a low frown that shows off yellow and missing teeth.

The message is clear: Hana doesn't want Parsley to ask or open her mouth anymore.

* * *

"Do you think we should stay here?" She finally asks her pet as she arranges new books of magic that she has been given. Her voice is quiet, but hazel eyes drat around the walls like expecting anything emerge from the wood and shadows. "Hana has been… weird."

"She has literally had her claws out the minute you told her about the girl and the apple. That is certainly the nicest way of putting it," Sphynx says casually from the windowsill, ears twitching. "I don't think she is in a nearby range to hear us."

 _Keep telling yourself that,_ the young woman has started to think that the elder one uses magic to keep an eye on her even while it is a private time in a bedroom. The thought is so creepy and bone-chilling that it is a wonder any sleep has come to her during this past few days.

Shaking her head, Parsley opens a first few pages of a book and tries to read it. The spell isn't basic anymore, but once again there are sidesteps written down to the side for mages. Every page is covered in that same, somewhat messy but understandable handwriting which keeps on reminding the reader of the problem she is currently having. It becomes harder to read between the normal text and that writing. ' _All elements are changeable in certain properties when magic is involved. At certain force, one can even…'_

She looks up at a wall, stares for more than twenty seconds at it and then sighs. _This is hopeless._ She really can't concentrate.

"I just… feel like she is restricting things I can do," she says softly and then frowns in annoyance.

Sphynx lets out a snort without any humor on it and jumps on the table. "Or places you can go to," he says, but then falls silent for a few seconds. Then, with a very silent voice, he whispers: "I think she has put another barrier on the door for the night."

This news makes Parsley snap her head towards him with steeled eyes. She whispers back: "You sure?"

When he gives a small nod, she seems to ponder it for a few seconds. But then she stands up and quietly walks to the door, trying her best not to make the planks creak. When at the door, she hesitates. Honestly, she has started to enjoy the lessons and the abilities she has gotten, and it is all because of one old mage. If what her friend has said is really true, then doesn't that mean that they have been locked up by one person that they are supposed to trust in this place? The thought makes her feel absolutely bitter.

She graces the wood with the tips of her fingers and the surface ripples like water under her touch. _This is new._ A hint of pain slices her heart from seeing the barrier, but then it is muffled by anger. _She has really locked me up in here!_

Without hesitation, Parsley tries to push her hand harder through to twist the handle. But at the very second, when she grabs it, a wave of dizziness makes her stagger back and stumble down to the ground. Her vision blurs and her ears start ringing like a soundwave has just pierced them.

"Parsley! You shouldn't try breaking it!" Sphynx runs to her, his form looking like one dark blob in her eyes.

She groans and lets her head fall down limply to the ground. "Thanks… for… the tip. Ugh!" The dizziness comes back when she tries sitting. "The… window?"

Sphynx doesn't hesitate to answer. "Also blocked."

Her blood freezes and the heart inside her chest nearly jumps out of the ribcage. The room feels so small, all of sudden. And it is especially dark when she comes to her sense from the shock she received. "W-what… are we going to do?"

She can't believe this and rubs her face with her shaky hands. She is locked up in a room, with a magical barrier around it and no way out. This has happened once before, but only once and that was only when she had been distorted and still having horrible events fresh in her mind.

Parsley can't stay in denial about this; she can't try reasoning Hana's behavior with just the fact that she has grown somewhat of a trust and a soft spot for the rough old lady. Days of her staff meeting her head may have been peculiar and a bit rough, but in the end, she had been given shelter and food and been educated on many things she had never dreamed of learning… But there is no clear explanation for the suffocating attention and now imprisonment. Not to mention the boiling anger she showed earlier today.

 _She is insane._

Frustration builds up and she rolls to her side, nearly ready to burst up in tears. She doesn't know what else to do. Even if she started screaming for the old mage to open her door, it probably won't happen. Bursting the whole thing with magic would be impossible, as well. Parsley does not have enough confidence to do so without the fear that she might blow up the whole thing. Sphynx doesn't also know how to bring down a barrier. The simple spells that he can do will also definitely have zero effect.

 _Why is she doing this to us?_

"She can't keep us here forever, Parsley," Sphynx says, and his warm body rubs itself close to hers. She immediately wraps her arms around him in a gentle embrace, trying to seek any comfort she can get. "At morning, when the spell will be broken…"

 _If she breaks it._

"and when we will be going to town, we will make a run for it."

She opens her eyes in shock and then looks down at her friend with wide eyes. When she sees that he is more than serious, a weak laugh escapes from her mouth. "Then, tell me, where can we go to?"

"Anywhere," he says without missing a beat, "there is a map of this world downstairs. We can take it."

"Could we even read a map – well, you could," she mutters as an afterthought. "But what if we will be attacked?"

"Magic."

"Those headband people will hear of it and try finding us," she comments back and with a shiver going down her spine.

"You know more spells now and without limitations."

She directs somewhat of an annoyed look down at her familiar. "Sphynx… I am not-"

 _I am not brave._

"I don't think we… we can m-make it," is what she finally decide to say. Unlike the emotions, she felt when a chance of escape was offered to her during the time in the darkroom with Sphynx nearly at the death's door, this time she knows what she could be dealing with out there. She doesn't feel the same thrill.

The bruises around her neck have been healed by magic. But she can still recall the cold touch of that red-eyed man like it was yesterday.

"Then why did you ask if we should stay here? Do you honestly want to be stuck in here?" Sphynx asks with a tilt of his head. "For all we know, she could not allow us to leave this hut anymore in the nearby future."

This makes Parsley close her eyes again. She doesn't have a countback to that. "Do you even have an idea where we could go? Where we could get food, shelter – Sphynx, we can't run away without a plan. And Hana is the only one who can help us and teach me spells. And – and we can't just take it for granted."

"Are you saying this because you truly believe that and fully trust the woman, or because you are too afraid to survive with only little ol' me?"

"…" Parsley opens her mouth but then closes it. She has to open her lids for the second time and look at her friend. This time, though, it is hard to hide the grimace that is clenching her facial muscles. _He sees right through me._

"Let's go to sleep already."

"Huh. I see how it is," he mumbles to himself, quite loudly though, as she makes her way back to bed with a slight wobble on her steps. "This is the trust I have gained over the past two decades from my loyal services and dashing whiskers."

His pathetic attempt to joke around with theatrical tone is going to waste. Parsley finds no humor or strength to even give him a smile. She doesn't even look at him, as she lays down and pulls the covers over herself. Honestly, she fears that if she opens her mouth he will start this conversation all over again. But Parsley wants to just rest, now.

However, her silent treatment does not stop him from snuggling and soon he is laying right in front of her. Hazel eyes close the moment the golden ones almost meet them. She feels like a child, again, hiding under a cover and staying stubbornly silent.

Still, she manages to get two words out: "Goodnight, Sphynx."

"Goodnight, Parsley."

* * *

She has her feet rooted firmly to the ground, figuratively. But Parsley starts to wish that her own toes would slowly form and twist into real roots made out of wood. Then, it could spread very quickly up the rest of her body and make her a real tree that nobody would pay any attention to. Or, even becoming totally invisible would be perfectly fine.

Her hand is trembling. Either from shock or the fact that she is suddenly feeling very warm and full of energy to whirl around and run around an entire football stadium. Though, the cold lashes she is getting across her body cool that down, only for a short moment.

 _T-there has to be an explanation,_ is what is constantly being repeated in Parsley's mind, right at this very moment. Though, even she can hear the doubt in that inner voice.

She hadn't meant to stumble upon what she has found. All she had wanted was to return some of the books to Hana's room before they would be going to town. However, her error was that she didn't know where the book had originally been standing on. So, Parsley had gone for the first shelf that caught her eye and opened it.

The shelf is filled with books, but that is not all that there is to it. There are small trinkets like stones, boxes and dried plants, but what is currently being clutched in her hand is something entirely different.

It is her phone – the object that those interrogators had taken away from her nearly over a month ago. There is no mistaking about this black color and the same of the scratches on the screen.

 _Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic,_ that small inner voice is once again trying to calm her overstimulating nerves, in vain.

"Parsley?"

The young, auburn brown-haired woman lets out a small shriek and whirls around with her phone clutched tightly against her chest. It is just Sphynx, standing by the door with his fur and ears raised towards the ceiling.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she keeps her hazel eyes on him, before quickly stuffing the box-like object into the pocket of her dress. Next, she doesn't even hesitate to shove a couple of books into her bag, then scoop up her friend from the floor and walking out of the room like it is on fire. She doesn't think much but lets her instincts work for her like she should have done from the very moment she had landed into this strange world.

 _She has been lying to me._

She walks the stairs down briskly, running near the end and her footsteps echoing loudly around the hallway. No doubt Sphynx can hear the frantically beating heart below the ribcage where his ear is at.

 _Hana has been hiding things from me._

Parlsey isn't feeling upsetting emotions, not the kind that makes her feel enraged over the fact that her phone has somehow ended up in this hut. No, she feels afraid. Being locked up in a room that is supposed to be hers was enough, but this has just broken a very thin line in her head. Her body is shaking so badly, yet she is able to walk. Somehow, the fact that the old mage has gotten her hands on something that was left behind into a dangerous place does shock her… But Parsley should have seen this coming. Especially after the elder woman started to behave strangely. She may have had this phone in her possession before it, as well.

"Let's go already," the said old woman is waiting by the door, voice impatient.

Parsley freezes, not daring to take a step further. From instinct, her hand goes to the strap of her bag and the hand holding Sphynx tightens. _Why? Why are you hiding things from me?_

She nearly wants to ask but bites her tongue. At this point – after almost dying and laying on a hard and cold forest floor, after nearly being torn apart by a tree spirit, after being constantly tortured and then nearly killed – Parsley can't bring herself to care about the truth anymore. The bottom line is… that she has to find her way out of this place, out of this world, and soon.

Hana hasn't pretty much largely talked about this issue. Another factor that is now making Parsley's alarm clocks move. _Maybe she sees me as a prisoner._

A white eyebrow is raised. "Well? Did ya forget something?"

The young woman feels Sphynx's whiskers against her chin as he moves his head to look up at her.

Parsley has to use every bit of her strength to swallow and then speak. "…No. Let's go."

* * *

"Hana, when will we begin to search for a way home?"

They are nearing the forest, Parsley can feel how the magic is approaching. Soon they would be behind the invisible barrier and head deeper into the old mage's hut. Ever since the seal on her back was removed, it has been rather easy to sense things around her, like now, and see what a blind eye couldn't. There is a wavering image of a forest nearing them and if they would use a little bit of magic the way would open.

However, before she will walk into that place, the young mage has to drop the bomb and see what happens. Her heart is pounding, and Sphynx becomes tense when she asks. He isn't stupid; he must have noticed how stiff his mistress has been the entire day.

Although, contrary to what she is fearing, Hana's voice is calm, when she speaks: "As soon as we can find a force powerful enough to do it. Ya just have to be patient, lass."

"And how long will that be?" Parsley asks, refusing to take another step further. The old woman also stops, when she noticed that she isn't following. "I am grateful that you have helped me, b-but at this rate I am… am afraid that it will take years before we can return."

That is the worst fear and has been gnawing her nerves like the extra weight of her phone inside her pocket. She wishes to confront Hana of it but hopes to get something else out of her as well. Sphynx's leans closer, to give her support to stand her ground on this.

The confidence wavers, though, when the elder mage turns slightly so that their eyes lock. "Of course. It isn't like powerful summons that nearly cost lives happen every day. Did ya think it was all going to happen in a blink of an eye the minute I started training ya?"

Parsley's winces, her loudly beating heart feels like it has been stopped for a mere second. She swallows thickly and clenches her trembling hands into weak fists, dropping her gaze to the hem of Hana's dark brown dress. _Don't let her get to you._

"No, I did not."

Hana lets out a sound that is between relief and exasperation. "Well, that is good, then. Come on, now. We better start making dinner, as soon as we get back."

"Why do you keep taking me to these villages?" Parsley asks, instead of continuing walking. However, her voice has started wavering from nervousness. "W-we keep on buying food and all, sure. But I thought that you could grow your own food with magic – n-not to mention that going shopping for more than seven times a week is weird."

"Not to mention that you have also been sending us to different villages every single day, since that incident with a little child," Sphynx says, and Parsley brushes his head with the back of her hand as a 'thank you' for him backing her up. He doesn't stop there, though. "Also, let's not forget the fact that you have put around mine and Parsley's room more than once."

Hazel eyes go wide in panic. _Don't bring that up!_ True, it feels injustice to be treated that way, but in her mind, it is a forbidden topic in this situation. The fear in it is that it will trigger something that she doesn't want to experience.

Hana doesn't seem taken aback, though. "That will stop the two of ya from getting any funny ideas."

This makes Parsley frown, open her mouth and close it again. Then, she throws her hands up in the air like giving up. "What – what ideas?"

"Ideas where ya two will be leaving the house in the dead of night," the wrinkled face is a stone mask, showing no emotion of amusement or joking.

Now, it dawns to her. Hana has been nervous – maybe even afraid – that she and Sphynx will leave. She doesn't want that to happen, but it still doesn't explain…

"Are you… I-I just… what does this all have to do with a small child that I helped? It is ever since that that you have a-acted weird. It…" Parsley struggles to find the right words, "it just doesn't explain why you are like this."

"Like what?" Hana barks back, making her flinch back. However, when the old woman sees the younger one's reaction and now a fearful and guarded look edged on hers and the cat's face, her shoulders slump. "Look, those _people,_ " she spits out, "are goddamn evil. Ya must understand to never trust one."

"You are saying that a child, who probably has nobody to look after her – all those poor people I have seen every time you dragged us into a new village – really know what we are and want to harm us at the very moment we show even the slightest act of kindness?" Sphynx asks.

"They aren't people!" Hana growls out. "They are monsters like I said! Monsters! No matter what ya do for them they will hurt, torment, torture and try to kill all of us! There is no 'poor' or a 'child' out here. Just evil and wicked!"

 _Such hate._

Parsley has clearly gotten her mouth zipped. Her heartbeat has not calmed down and her fists are trembling as well. She doesn't know how to process Hana's words. _Am I tired, or just shocked?_ There are things she wants to say, but no words form on her mouth. Luckily, she has got her familiar who can speak for both of them and keep close to her at the same time. Though, she has noticed how many times the feline's furry presence seems to almost disappear under the force of her emotions.

Biting down on her tongue, the amber brown-haired woman takes in a deep breath. She really hates confrontations, but the grave has been dug.

So, without further rational thinking, she pulls out the phone hidden inside the pocket. Her hand is still shaking, as she presents it towards Hana. "What about this? How – _how_ do you have it?"

This time, green eyes widen in shock, before settling down into a steely gaze. "Having been going through my property, have ya?"

Parsley falters but then inhales deeply again. "I-I was returning the books a-and opened a wrong shelf. B-but that is not the point here! Where did you get my phone? I know that you know what this is. I don't know from what timeline you came from, b-but this is without a doubt _my_ phone!"

"Stop screaming already!" Hana hollers back.

She feels a bit faint from not catching her breath but continues shoulders heaving. "Please! Just… answer my question!"

"Ya want to know where that came from? Fine!" The old woman spits down to the ground, making Sphynx's fur stand up. "I asked few creatures to sneak it out from the village where ya were held captive. Ya are _welcome_."

"And when did this happen?" Parsley asks, much calmer than before, but still struggling to keep her voice steady. "Because, if you got this back days ago… then why hide it? You have locked us inside your house for nights, taken us to villages while watching me struggle not to h-help t-those poor p-"

"They aren't people! And ya are no saint!" A bony finger is raised towards Parsley, green eyes ablaze. "Ya listen here, lass. This is my last warning to ya and yar furball."

She doesn't feel good about this. Parsley would like nothing more than to walk away from this situation, right now. Especially from hearing that detached and stern tone filled with boiling irritation. She hasn't been hit with a staff yet but would gladly take that than whatever is coming her way. From instinct, she takes Sphynx off from her shoulders and holds him close to her chest.

Hana takes a step forward, making the young woman back away. The cat in her arms growls threateningly, but that threat goes to deaf ears.

 _T-this is bad._ Parsley doesn't want the mage to advance any further, but she certainly doesn't want her familiar to tear Hana's face wide open. However, it may come to that if the woman makes one wrong move. The tension in this area is already heavy enough to make any animal uneasy. And the hazel-eyed woman knows better than anyone that there is no way of stopping Sphynx after his limit has been reached.

Hana waves her winger and Parsley tense when she feels a shift in the air. Something starts crawling up against her legs in an eerily familiar fashion – _roots._

"Ya are going to keep that trap of yars shut," the old woman starts, her voice low, "we are all going to go back to the house, we aren't talking about this again and ya are going to listen to me. Ya don't like looking at the wretches out in the streets? Fine. I won't take ya down there anymore."

The roots keep on tightening around her feet and Parsley can't breathe. She wishes – has a need to – hug her cat tighter but knows it will crush him.

"S-stop…" she whimpers, truly terrified, now.

"Instead, ya will stay in the forest. No running out of the barrier, understand? Ya will continue staying under my roof and there will be no more contact with those beasts."

"But," Parsley's tongue stumbles, she really can't get enough air into her lungs.

Hana is far stronger than she is in magicand she knows it; she knows that Parsley can't struggle. Compared to the elder woman, she is still a mere greenhorn without any solid idea or control over her abilities.

 _N-no. I did that large wave._ The hazel eyes are glazed over, but she struggles to steel herself. Just like last time, she needs to only go with the feeling and let all the power around go. Though, she can barely lift a shaky finger from under Sphynx's weight without the fear of dropping him. Not to mention there is no guarantee that she can do this before Hana reacts.

Parsley inhales shakily lowering her gaze from the burning green eyes in great nervousness and fear. _Just… please. L-let this work._

"H-help," she whispers and then lifts her hand towards Hana.

The old woman freezes but then lets out a throaty chuckle. "What are ya doing? A weak little thing like ya think she can harm me?"

"Parsley, send her back with another water spell," Sphynx growls out and earns another chuckle from the old woman. "You can't keep the two of us here."

"Oh, I think I can."

The roots are now at her waist and Parsley starts panicking.

"Come now, lass. If ya are smart, then ya know that I am right. Who has been the one feeding ya? Who has taught ya magic and the truth of our world for all this time? Who saved ya when ya the night yar cat was wounded and ya were all beaten up?"

She bites down on her tongue, taking in every word. It is frightening how much she is agreeing with Hana while being obviously held still by her spell. What else would she do to them without hesitation?

"Lass, I have come to understand ya during this short time," the old woman rasps out, tone sympathetic. "Ya are a gentle and fragile soul, lass. I understand. Ya don't want to harm anyone, even if it includes the ones that have hurt ya. I _understand_. I was like ya once, but at one-point, ya have to grow up and listen to what I have to say. In this world, ya two have no other allies, besides me. Ya _need_ me. Ya can't harm a person who ya have talked to for a month – it is written all over yars face."

Her breath hitches, when a dry and calloused hand touches her cheek feathery. Sphynx's growls are somehow muffled to Parsley's ears and she soon sees him floating in the air over Hana's head. She had gotten rid of him for the time being.

A thumb brushes along her right cheek, gently. The old woman has a kind smile on her face and her eyes are peering deep into Parsley's soul.

This isn't like Hana. She has not touched her like this before. She has been rough, calloused and grumpy most of the time, so this is out of character and feels like a trap. The short thought makes the young woman's stomach twist.

"Truly sweet and innocent. So naïve and helpless. Come on, now," she reaches out to grab Parsley's arm that is still holding out. The touch is just as soft as the one on her cheek. "With me, ya are safe."

 _Safe._ That word is so sweet and inviting.

"No more fear. No more running. Yar days in my house – in the forest – will be filled with _magic_ that ya love from the bottom of that soft heart of yars."

A tear comes out of a hazel eye. It is just as warm as the elder woman's touch and Parsley feels a strange wave of calm come over her. She lowers her hand, making Hana's smile widen. _Is… is she using magic?_ Whether that is true or not, the suspicion is muffled as soon as it comes. The wavy-haired woman feels far calmer than any other day she has been here. It is as if she is ready to fall asleep on the spot and fall down to the soft grass that would catch her. Parsley isn't thinking anymore but stays in a hazy state that washes over her.

She could let go of the worries, the fears and the pain like this. There would be nothing to worry about. Her childhood dream would come true once and for all and she could finally smile while wielding that mysterious power. She would not be a failure, a black-sheep.

And all of that is just gracing her fingertips.

 _Let it all go._

"I can give what ya want, _Parsley_."

Hana's voice is coming from everywhere.

"Everything will be fine, sweet child. Just say 'yes' and follow me back."

 _Everything that I want._ A soft smile spreads on her lips and she closes her eyes. _All I want…_

She starts walking – the roots are gone – the world around her hazy and blurry. The grass beneath her feet feels soft, as two warm hands guide her forward. It feels as if Parsley is in a dream, the one that she wants to stay in forever.

 _All I want…_

Images of people from her school flash behind her eyelids. Their smirking, shocked, tired or disappointed faces whenever she messed up the spells. Those childish bullies that bothered her almost the whole time she tried her best and cried in silence. Every time that somebody told her to quit, that she couldn't make it was like knives into her heart. She cried and cried always from those comments, but still tried. No matter how bitter it was, there was always that little innocent dream that made her want to get it right every time. And no matter how much even her parents, relatives and friends told her to quit – _it hurt –_ they were supposed to support her – Parsley went on.

 _All I ever wanted was…_

The first time she did a spell with her father, he had been smiling so widely. Then, her mother saw it and then her brother, and they all had all smiles on their faces from that one simple sparkle spell Parsley did when she was so little. Still, her small mind had felt proud, confident and so happy from the emotion she got from that.

That is how her dream had started.

 _All I wanted was for you all to just smile because of my magic._

Another warm tear trails down her cheek and she can feel how her senses are numbing. The sensation is that of when she passes through a barrier.

 _You_ _ **can't**_ _make them smile if you are stuck here._

Whatever peace she has been in, it shatters into thousand pieces. The perfect image cracks and fades and she opens her hazel eyes with a snap. The world around her is not so warm anymore and Parsley feels her skin crawl from where Hana is touching her.

"Let go of me!"

The old woman must be shocked because her grip loosens, and the young mage is able to tear herself away rather easily. She is inside the barrier, but that does not mean she doesn't have any hope left.

Parsley looks quickly for her friend and she finds him floating in the air she reaches out and takes him into her arms easily. He is still tense and growls but stays close to her.

"I-I don't care!" She yells, not sure what it is that doesn't matter to her anymore. Her mind is still a bit blurry, but her voice must be clear, and she glares at Hana through tears. "Y-you… you can't g-give me what I want! You don't even know what I w-want!"

Her voice is wavering again. Parsley inhales and sharpens her look for the second time.

"B-but I am not staying h-here. I-I will n-not become a prisoner! You have no right over me or Sphynx!"

The air grows tense, but Hana's face is still slack from shock. It boils something within Parsley and she straightens her back to her full height, hovering over Hana. She feels fear, but this isn't the time to take back her words. She has to speak up her mind when the older mage is still in a shock.

"That is why," she pauses and starts backing away towards the barrier, "we are leaving. Thank you for what you have done, but… I have had enough."

The old woman doesn't still say anything, her shoulders are merely falling up and down heavily like she has been running. The sharpness in her eyes – that crazed look with sweet cooing – is gone and what is left is bewilderment. She doesn't make a movement indicating that she is about to close in on Parsley and has her arms up in the same position where she had gripped the young woman by the hands. It is like the rejection has struck a chord within her and now she remains in shock.

 _She isn't going to stop us._

"Parsley!" Sphynx calls out to her, snapping her out of the adrenaline haze.

And with that, Parsley whirls around doesn't look back and runs through the barrier, setting off to who knows where.

* * *

"She broke from your spell," someone in the forest chuckles softly. It is a clear voice. The leaves rustle like moved by that same sound and a noise of soft music echoes around the forest. "I guess you have finally met your match."

The old woman flinches but does not react any other way. She is still frozen in the same position and her thin hands are trembling. She doesn't seem to notice this though. It is funny. Usually, she has those heavy and wrinkled lids pressing down on her eyes, but now they are both pushed back, and the green orbs look like plates. They are clouded over by an unknown emotion and shock, making her as motionless as a rock. Though, her outstretched arms are trembling – a barely visible movement.

When Hana doesn't move for over a minute, the bushes behind her are parted, as a pair of light feet make it closer to her. They are pale and covered in slight dark patches of dirt. Though, it may because they are so small that they barely make any sound against the grass filled ground.

The young woman and her cat have disappeared behind the barrier and thought they are invisible now, Hana keeps on staring forward as if she can still see them. Her straight hair is already ruffled, and a slight breeze moves the straying strands in front of her face.

"Now, she is gone."

"She won't be for long."

Robin pauses and looks at Hana whose dropped jaw has clicked shut. Her lips are forming a thin line and her fingers are slowly curling into fists. They haven't stopped trembling, though. In fact, the shaking seems to be getting worse as the second's tick by. The grey hair gets frizzier and whatever shock was in her green eyes vanishes and turns into something much darker. A shadow passes over Hana's wrinkled face.

The enchanted creature in a form of a little boy stiffens and takes a step back, as the ground under the elder mage is slowly starting to lose its green color – its life. He doesn't need to look back to see how the forest ruffles and groans when a foul odor in the air hits its trees. The leaves are cringing, losing their color just like the grass and curling into shriveled up pieces that fall down to the ground. The trunks are groaning and rotting, and it is a miracle that they continue standing. Whatever creature was listening or watching the amusing display before, is now running away in disgust.

Robin takes another step back but stops and lets the foulness reach him. He struggles to not let it take over his heart, but even he worries over the fact that his outfit turns more ragged and his skin wrinkles and becomes so pale that it is deadly.

Hana walks towards the forest, but she isn't limping. Her back is straight, her strides slow but smooth and her gaze blank and cold. When she breathes out, white smoke comes out as if it is winter.

 _She is angry._

The young boy swallows thickly. In all his long life, the period he has known the mage never has he seen her like this. Though, he doesn't think that it is rage entirely which is making her spread a curse around nature.

"I told you that by simply taking her to villages wouldn't make her more docile," he says loudly, intending for the words to reach Hana. When she stops, he continues: "She cares too much for those who are weak and helpless."

"…She is _exactly_ like those kinds of people. She _will_ break," her voice is ice cold, just like the way ice spreads across the ground she steps on. However, the old mage does not turn around to look at him.

"You shouldn't spread your hatred to this forest. You may be a mage, but the old-folk won't tolerate this resentment you will be pushing on them," he says softly, taking a step closer and feeling how his fingernails grow longer. He can see and feel her emotions as clear as daylight. He frowns when it nearly makes him lose control over his own emotions. _There is such bitter darkness in her._

Hana doesn't turn around, but Robin can feel that something is slowly shifting in her. Calmness is spreading, though, gradually. Even if her hands are trembling under those long and large sleeves in tight fists, they are slowly loosening their grip. Without a word, she continues her way, taking both the smell of death and hate with her.

Once she is gone, the young tree spirit lets out a breath he had been holding in and wipes imaginary sweat from his forehead. For a very small moment, he had feared that she might attack him from giving an unnecessary comment.

He looks down and sees that his hands have returned back to normal. The grass and the trees are green again.


	12. Chapter 11: Crimson clouds

_Chapter 11_

 _Crimson clouds_

* * *

She is running the gods knows where Sphynx clutched firmly against her chest. This is just another forest, but Parsley is not so sure that this is any that she has been to. The area she stumbled upon after leaving the barrier hadn't seemed too different from where she had been at morning, but now she is fearing for the worst. The woods are much larger than she remembers. _Run._ Her breath comes out heavily, sides hurting and aching from not getting a break. _Run, run, run, just get away!_

There is no trail, so the young woman is running through the thick and long grass and bushes. They scrape her knees and tug on the hem of her dress. The ground is not straight and full of small hills and pits, and Parsley nearly falls more than once.

 _Get away, before she comes after us!_

Her heart feels as if it is going to burst out of her chest at any moment. The air is moist and chilly, making the tip of her nose feel numb along with her hands.

 _She is crazy!_

The moment Parsley starts slowing down – _breathing hurts_ – her foot slips on slicker grass and she starts to fall towards lower forest level. Sphynx lets out a yowl in her arms, and she yelps together with him. The world is spinning before the two.

Both of them fall with a thud onto hard ground and few branches snap under Parsley's weight. She groans, face wrinkling in pain and discomfort. Whatever cover her clothes have provided stops now when moisture from rainwater goes through the fabric. It is now much colder than she originally felt, but the adrenaline hasn't stopped pumping through her veins entirely and her hazel eyes crack open to stare at the greyish sky above the treetops. The grey shapes are moving, and she silently prays while in pain that it won't start coming down when they don't have a cover yet.

 _Get away._

Struggling and muscles aching, Parsley rolls over to see Sphynx shaking whatever leaves and dirt is caught on his fur. Then, he merely sits down comfortably and starts grooming himself. However, he pauses when he feels her eyes on him.

Sphynx looks up and gives her a blank stare. "I think we are far enough."

"H-how would you know?" She asks between breaths and nearly lets her head fall down on the ground. "We… we should probably c-continue for few more miles."

He blinks slowly. "Don't be ridiculous. Come on now. We should find shelter before it starts to rain."

Parsley shivers, her stomach flipping. Her familiar's nose has always been good when it comes to weathers and if he says it will rain it will. The running has mostly drained her energy – honestly, she would rather lay down and let the rain soak her.

Trembling slightly from both the cold and the lingering fear, Parsley manages to sit up with a heavy and sad sigh. When her eyes land on her hands and the rest of the body, she can see that they are all covered in dirt and pieces of grass and leaves. It is like she fell through an entire forest rather than rolled down a small hill. Looking back, she sees that it wasn't even that much of a stumble down to where she is now sitting at. The grass has obviously been flattened where they – mostly she – had rolled down.

Sniffing away the snot in her nose, Parsley wipes her face that feels stiff on the spot where the salty tears had trailed down her cheeks. It reminds her what they are running away from, to begin with. A bitter emotion spreads across her chest and she sighs again, letting the hand drop to her side. She suddenly feels so tired and starts rummaging through her bag for a book. Luckily, nothing seems to have fallen off.

"Are you alright?"

"I am fine," she mumbles but knows her cat doesn't believe it. It is clear from her voice that she is drained. Her hazel eyes scan through the book with tiredness, but she wants to make sure that the text is usable and informative enough to provide help. The young woman didn't really have the luxury to check their content this morning.

She had truly planned on leaving Hana, but there had been a small part of her that had hesitated and didn't want it to truly happen. That small part is now down and drained out from that small wish. _Keep calm. It is going to be alright._

"You are shaking," Sphynx says, and his golden eyes eye her trembling hands holding the book. "Parsley, it is alright."

The statement makes her hand flipping through the pages pause – the end of the entire thick book has been reached by now. Her lower lip trembles and she has to bite into it. The young woman hadn't even really thought of how the escape would affect her later. Now, she knows, and it feels just awful. It is cold, bruising aches are covering almost half of her body and she is tired. But also feeling her phones weight brings flashbacks of how she had fought against Hana. She had screamed at her and she had tried to drag her back to the house by force… _Why do things like these keep happening?_

"No, it is not Sphynx," she grits out, fighting an urge to start screaming. "We… we are obviously lost. I am cold, a-and it will get dark and t-then where will we go? E-even if we stumble into a village who knows if we even get a roof o-over our heads. Then there is a fact that… that – that Hana clearly won't be taking us back – not that I want that, of course. I can't believe what she has done! Locking us up in a room for a night was bad enough, b-but why would she try to l-lure me back like that? But n-now that we are here, I-I am not that confident that we will be able to survive the night. W-well, obviously, you could. You have a fur and being a cat and… all of that. Oh! I could try doing a fire spell… No, bad idea. The entire forest would burst into flames. But c-could you try it? I am _cold_. Like really, _really_ cold. Down to minus d-degree Celsius and more – wait. Weren't we talking about s-something else? Oh, yes! What should we really d-do now? What if the locals w-with those strange abilities of theirs will come a-and – and what if this translator s-spell loses its power a-and we c-can't understand anything a-anymore…"

Her vocal cords hurt when she stops speaking – rambling. There is obviously a lump in there, that has formed when she realized just how helpless she feels. They truly have almost nothing, but books and magic with them. Though, her low self-esteem is telling her that it will do no good, especially if she tries growing a house of their own out of a tree.

Parsley frowns deeply, letting out a sound between giggling and crying. _Forget about it. You will only kill that poor tree._ She rubs her face tiredly, shaking her head weakly.

"We are so _fucked_."

Sphynx lets out a noise in the back of his throat that is between bristling and choking on a furball. "Blimey, Parsley," he rasps, appalled, "language!"

"We are going to die!"

"I feel as if we have had this conversation before."

She sends him a glare. With her red and puffy eyes, she hopes the look is intimidating. "This isn't funny! We have to find shelter and quick!"

As if saying he is giving up, Sphynx raises his tail and points to the side. "Alright, then. Let's go."

* * *

The terrain in the forest is truly like that of a labyrinth. Many surfaces from rough to smooth and from deep to flat are the obstacles the two have gone through definitely more than few hours or so. The sky has not parted the clouds to let the sunshine, though. And thus, the air is still moistures with that chill that comes whenever a breeze passes by. One would think it is autumn in this place, but the leaves are still green.

To Sphynx, these elements pose to harm or threat. Though, he admits missing the warmth of a house, a soft couch and the heat of a fireplace. Those are the comforts he would like to have, but he guesses that he should be thankful for the thick fur he has. He is an animal, so walking in this kind of ground for hours would be no problem to him, once again. As for his mistress…

The cat glances behind him to see a shivering woman limping after him at a slower pace.

Parsley is not well, he can see that. Her skin is covered in goosebumps, her steps are slow and dragged and he can see the tiredness clear on her features. Her hazel eyes are gazing down at the ground, barely focusing what is ahead of her. Dirt and grass pieces from a few stumbles are covering her clothes that provide no protection against the low temperature. For her to be like this, it must be because of low stamina or emotional drain. Sphynx is guessing the latter must be the main reason.

 _That Hana…_ his furry face wrinkles slightly from the memory of what had happened. He had sensed there to be tenseness on her previously, so he should have gotten his friend away from the forest sooner. Though, the old woman didn't feel like she had had any bad intentions on the two of them. _She was afraid of something._ Shaking his head, Sphynx continues walking. No matter the reasons, she still threatened to lock Parsley away. That is something that makes the hairs on his back stand up.

"We should stop, Parsley," he calls out and then runs to her. When her eyes rise up tiredly to his, he continues: "Rest. We don't really have to hurry anywhere. We can take shelter under that tree."

The tree he is talking and gesturing towards is large and bend one. It is leaning against a large rock which provides support for it and creates what seems to be a good protection from the rain or other elements. Its branches and needles are curtains and could also provide shelter for him and one grown-up human woman.

Parsley is already moving before he can finish. She doesn't even say anything and when she crouches and crawls under the tree, he follows quickly to see her laying down on a dry grass. Funnily, she doesn't seem to mind the fact that the ground is hard – Parsley has always liked to sleep on soft things – and soon closes her eyes, breathing evenly like ready to fall asleep.

 _She is tired._

As if to prove that thought, the young woman yawns and uses her arms as a pillow. Her messy hair falls across her back like a blanket.

Seeing that she is more than comfortable, Sphynx comes closer and lays next to her. Feeling his warmth next to her, Parsley opens her mouth and speaks quietly: "It is just… you and me, again."

He looks at her with a lazy blink. "Are you hungry?"

She shakes her head weakly. "Just… tired."

"You sure? I can go looking for food," he says, feeling a bit emptiness in the bottom of his own stomach. However, before he can even move a muscle, Parsley pulls him close and snuggles against his side. He lets out a noise of surprise but does not fight against her hold.

"Don't leave me," she says, pleading edge to her voice. "It is cold."

He watches through the cracks of the branches and needles at the forest, noting and sensing no danger anywhere near them. Yet, this woman – _she is still like a child_ – is clinging to him weakly. Though, he notes how she shivers slightly, before trying to settle down. She will definitely get hypothermia if he doesn't do something and quickly.

The last time she got soaked, he barely had enough energy to help her with magic. He could only do a simple fire spell at one point, which wasn't that hard because that element comes naturally to him. Though, it is quite different trying to create enough steam to vaporize moisture and create a visible flame.

"Stay still for a moment," he says. She doesn't answer but makes no further move to oppose his request.

So, without further hesitation, Sphynx starts chanting under his breath. Unlike mages, familiars have limitations whenever they try to use magic. It isn't that they couldn't use the magic around them, but rather the fact that they can't. Their genes and the way the magic courses through them limits the abilities on using magic from nature. To Parsley, it is like breathing, now. But to Sphynx, it is an impossible task.

 _Though, at least I can do this much for her._ A white light shines near the tip of his nose and soon steam rises off Parsley's clothes and other elements around them. The ground was a bit wet and cold before, but now it is completely warm and dry. Feeling that it is all enough, Parsley's face relaxes, and she lets out a quiet sigh. And that is a sign for Sphynx to stop.

When he looks at her face, he sees that her mouth is half-open, but even breaths are coming in and out of it. Her hands are also much more relaxed around him and she doesn't seem as tense as she had been before.

Her mouth twitches slightly as she forms words. "Thanks."

"You are welcome," Sphynx yawns back. "Good night… day. Let's just have a nap, for now."

She hums back, fully agreeing. The cat familiar doesn't even have to wait long, because he is more tired than he knows and falls asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Sphynx wakes up rather slowly. First, he takes a note of the slightly chilly air mixed with the scent of forest and rainwater, then his other senses start working. His eyes open just as slowly as his mind starts working – there is really no hurry. He yawns, stretching his back, but then freezing from feeling a limp arm over his small shoulders. He almost forgot how he had fallen asleep, to begin with.

The first thing he sees with his dialed eyes is the shelter's branches covering whatever is inside almost completely. Through the cracks, he sees into the forest and takes a note of how it is a bit darker outside now. The slight glow of orange and yellow tells him that it is sunset. Then, Sphynx looks to the side to see Parsley's sleeping face very close to his. Her eyes are shut firmly and there is no obvious sign showing that she might be waking up any time soon.

Out of sheer fondness and amusement of the drool line on the corner of her mouth, Sphynx lightly taps his paw against Parsley's nose. Her face wrinkles immediately and her hand flings away until she is laying on her back. However, she doesn't stir awake.

He grins, knowing it looks feral with his animal face and sharp canines. He remembers when he used to do this to her in their younger days.

Shaking himself and standing on his feet, the familiar peeks his head outside of the little shelter and looks around. He smells the air more, narrows his eyes to see through every small detail he might miss and then looks back at his sleeping mistress – she is out like a candle, snoozing softly. His muscles relax from seeing this. _I should get us some food before she wakes up._

The cat is just about to run towards the forest but pauses when he is fully out. Truthfully, he feels a bit worried that Parsley might wake up while he is gone. That would definitely make her freak out and run off to who knows where.

Sphynx sighs heavily. Sometimes, just sometimes, he wishes that there could be two of him. That would make taking care of his handful mistress a lot easier.

Suddenly, his ears and tail stand up. There is someone watching him, and it is not a person.

His head snaps to look towards where he senses the presence to see a small rodent freeze under his gaze only a few feet away. It looks like a mouse and his claws immediately come out. His inner predator comes out and without much of a thought…

Sphynx bolts after his 'dinner' without a second thought.

Parsley will probably be sleeping by the time he comes back.

* * *

When the young woman starts stirring, she doesn't immediately realize where she is. The ground is very uncomfortable, though, and it makes the sleepy cogs in her head move after a while. There are small stones digging into her back, which is the second thing she senses and rolls to her side with a small groan. In the end, her right cheek lands on a pile of old fallen needles and she flinches.

Parsley thought that sleeping on a hard ground would be something that she is completely familiar and comfortable with. After all, she has done this once before in more dreadful circumstances. But it seems as though she has been greatly mistaken – _there is no way anyone can get used to this._

Wiping off the needles, the dirt and the drool, the hazel-eyed woman sits up, being careful not to hit her head against the wood just hovering few inches away from the top of her head. However, as soon as she does, a shiver goes down her body and goosebumps cover her arms. Parsley hugs herself and tries to soothe the sensations. _Is it much colder than before?_

She lifts her eyes, trying to still even things out between dreaming and the reality. It is nearly pitch-black outside, and her heart literally feels like it is surrounded by ice from the black sight. There is some light, but it is very faint and one with a mere human eyesight can only see so far before shadows take over.

Deciding that there is no need to panic or be worried, Parsley tries to look for her cat. Maybe curling up to his tiny form and getting warmth from that is a stupid hope, but she is willing to try that instead of risking lifting herself on fire from trying to do a spell.

However, even when Parsley's eyes get used to the dark… she can't find her familiar from anywhere on the ground.

Every small particle of spit becomes dry in her mouth and she quickly jumps up, getting her skull slammed against a hard surface. "Ah!"

Her world is now filled with stars, but even a half-blind person could see that there is nobody else in this small shelter beside Parsley. The fact makes the coldness spread further into her bones and she bolts out to the open.

She feels lightheaded, as she starts whirling around and looks for a familiar form and golden eyes. When nothing comes up and Parsley nearly falls from dizziness, the young mage feels as if the strength in her legs is leaving. _N-no, no, no, no! He can't be gone!_ Her fingers tangle in her long hair and she stops moving altogether. _Wh-where did he go!?_

"S-sphynx!" She calls out but flinches violently when birds fly away from nearby branches. They cry out into the evening – or night – _what time is it? –_ and their echoes fade. "T-this is not f-funny!"

 _C-calm! Maybe he is near and comes back soon?_ However, when she does nothing but stand still like a frozen rabbit and prays and nothing happens, her stomach flips around. It feels as if something is digging into her gut. The temperature drops several degrees and the young woman wraps her arms around herself. It is too much to take in; the fact that she is now all alone in the dark sends a very strong terror throughout her chest and spreads around her entire body.

This is a fact: Parsley has to find Sphynx. She fears with her entire being that something has happened to him and the same thing could come for her as well. The thought of just waiting for a few minutes longer does not even cross her mind.

The mage sprints forward, the cold wind and branches whipping against her face. Her heartbeat is drumming in her ears and chest, much too eager to jump out of the ribcage.

 _Breathe._

She runs into a tree, yelping from the pain that shoots up her forehead and spreads through the rest of her head. Her shoulders are rising up and down heavily, but the hazel-eyed woman does not stop there and keeps on moving forward with no idea where she is headed at.

 _Think._

Getting the cogs in her brain to work is harder than navigating through this forest. Though, she is positive that the small camp and she and her familiar had is now so far away that getting back would not be possible.

 _Where is he!?_

Getting dizzy and more frightened of the dark and the eerie silence, she finally stops fully and backs against what she feels is a sturdy tree. Her back meets with the trunk and her gaze swipes around the area frankly and with cautiousness. The sound of the loud heartbeat does not fade but is accompanied by buzzing inside her ears. The fingers gracing the trunk's rough surface are cold at the tips and trembling. The same can be said about Parsley's face and the end of her toes – she needs to find a way to stay warm.

Very slowly and still scared of what might be lurking in the dark, she raises her hand. And even slower she starts to distinguish small sparks of orange glowing light forming on her palm. It is small, and it takes a quite bit of effort from her side not to stop breathing.

"So, we have a little mage within our humble woods."

Even before the sentence is complete, a very icy shudder creeps across her spine and she spins around with a scream tearing from her throat. It tears through the otherwise silent night.

A face is staring at her. The light on her hand illuminates the shadows of the tree's deformed face that has out of nowhere appeared on its once rather "smooth" surface. It is a face that forms outlines of a delicate face – a thin one. A pair of carved eyes, empty of white and of dark irises in the middle peer deeply into Parsley's soul.

A small smile plays on the wooden lips and the human woman's mouth dries up.

"How _delightful_."

She screams again and bolts away… only to trip over something and fall flat to her face. _A tree spirit!_

A clear laughter rips through the air like an army of bells. "How amusing you are, child."

The clearly alive tree is grinning, but all Parsley can see is a hollow face, void of any kind of feature indicating of normal parts it should have. There are no teeth and it feels as if the young human is staring into an empty hole as the creature speaks. The iciness spreads further into her lungs when she is completely immobilized.

The fire on her arm has shivered down and now the darkness has returned to nature.

"Searching for the one who carries your will?"

Parsley scrambles up, limbs shaking and turns to run away. Small sticks scrape against the skin of her hands and the sides of her face, like trying to grab the fleeing woman. The sharp sensations make the panic grow.

 _It will eat me!_

This is straight from a horror story – the one running will always end up dead.

A soft breeze caresses the shell of Parsley's ear. "Follow the _light_."

"Kyah!" She screams and whirls around, her hand gracing something feathery for a fraction of a second. However, she hears no other human-like sound after that, only how the leaves are ruffled by the wind.

There are now eyes everywhere. Watching and blinking down at her terrified form.

 _W-when?_ She hadn't seen or heard these things approaching. The young mage can't see the rest of their bodies, but the glowing orbs send a gut-wrenching pain into her stomach. She can hear low whispers that can't be mistaken for winds. Their voices melt together and now it sounds as if there is an army standing all around her… And it feels like they are still getting closer.

Her legs shake, when they start finally taking steps back. The whole world is spinning the moment she lights up another fire on her shaky palm. This time, the fire is stronger than ever before, fueled by her frightened emotions and urges to get away.

She regrets it soon after the light surrounds her enough to see the creatures.

Whatever small security is left in her system vanishes.

Parsley lets out a blood-curdling scream.

They have fangs, glaring eyes, and twisted shapes. Some are figures that have the shape of a human being, but there are sinister grins on those monsters' faces – most look like tree spirits. Though, the rest is just a mass of monstrous animals.

And they are all reaching out for her.

* * *

Sphynx's ears stand up straight and he turns his head to look over his shoulder. His paw, which is reaching out deep into the hole where the cat's prey had escaped into, freezes mid-wave and his golden eyes narrow slightly. Slowly, his front limbs retreat out of the dusty hole with dirt covering his once flawless fur – further digging would have probably ended up making it worse. The familiar, though, isn't that much focused on his appearance at the moment.

He straightens up and turns around. Maybe to other eyes, the pitch blackness would be able to hide everything, but he can see more than necessary well. He peers into the route leading further into the covers of the trees, the cogs in his head turning.

The individual furs on his fur are now standing up. The claws under his soft paws are half-way out, but there is no doubt that they are digging harshly into the ground he is standing on. His nose, one that was sniffing for the small mouse that has hidden deep into the underground hole, is now picking up new scents from the air.

There is something _very_ wrong.

One thing Sphynx knows is that he should always listen to his instincts. Especially in a dire situation. Though, it is not only these instincts that have made him fully alert.

The feline doesn't need to wait for a long time when an ominous odor reaches his nostrils. A new breeze carries it to him in a matter of seconds… and it is _heavy_.

 _Parsley!_

Quietly letting a curse slip through his furry mouth, Sphynx sprints forward, intending to get as close as possible to the source of the smell. Though his mind can only think that he shouldn't have left his mistress alone – the thought is so strong that the usually graceful cat nearly falls flat to his face.

There is no mistaking the danger when it comes to the scent he has caught. The smell is so revolting that he has to struggle not to recoil back from nausea.

There is a clear metallic stench floating in the air.

Soon, the slender cat is seeing something else alongside the dark night. There are clouds gathered up in the sky, blocking the stars from view, so they are not the source of the light he begins to detect. A soft glow of bright yellow and red has appeared at the distance and small puffs of smoke rise to the skies as well. Alongside the odor of blood, there is a bitter smell of ash and fire. This realization makes the golden-eyed feline only to shoot through the bushes and between the trees faster. He doesn't even care when he feels the sharp branches gliding across his sides.

His small heart nearly stops, when he spots a dark and limp form laying on the ground few feet away. It is laying on top of thick fallen branches and with what seems like pieces of wood impaled into its back. One hand is reached out what seems like one last desperate attempt to escape, but it is now laying limply, so pale that anyone could probably to detect it in the night.

It is clear, that the person is dead.

Mortified, Sphynx comes closer but then relaxes slightly from not recognizing the scent. This person is not his friend and the fact makes him sigh in relief despite the gruesome sight just a mere five feet away. For a moment there, he had thought that all was lost.

The question still stands, though. _Who did this?_

Nothing – no one - _Parsley –_ is still out of the woods, yet, figuratively. Whatever had happened to this dead person, it doesn't look pretty from the feline's point of view. His nose wrinkles from the smell of strong iron coming from the blood.

Whatever killed this poor soul…

Golden eyes look towards where the glowing light shines even brighter. Flames have obviously spread and if this continues there will be a very large carnage spreading all over the forest through the trees and anything easily burnable.

Sphynx can only pray that his fears are for nothing and Parsley is still snoozing off in that humble shelter.

* * *

She falls, knees first and bones aching from the impact with a hard ground. Parsley smells the dirt and digs her fingers into the earth to get a better grounding and to get up quickly. The trembling has not stopped nor has her scattered mind gathered together. The flame she had created a while back is gone again – there is no way that she can have any light. Those _things_ would spot her easily and who knows what will happen then. Although, there is no telling if she is far away for that not to happen.

Swaying while getting up, Parsley looks around, cautious and eyes glazed over by her tears. She has truly no idea where to head next. It is like being in a labyrinth. And things are worse, because she has no one with her, now. This is the first time that Sphynx is not with her.

Parsley wraps her arms around herself, trying to find a sense of security. _S-should I just wait for now?_ She curses herself for not staying put and crouches down, covering her face.

Of course, Sphynx would never abandon her. The very idea is absurd. _But… what if something happened to him?_ The idea makes her stomach double take in pain. She hates this feeling. This sensation of being sensitive to the point that even a slight breeze could topple her over is terrible. It is obvious that she is helpless, but she could do more if only she had the guts to use magic. _But what kind of spell should I use, now?_ The forest is so thick, that is obvious. Not to mention the creatures Parsley has just seen. _They aren't normal. This whole place is not normal._ Those monsters were things she has seen on books.

She rubs her face, managing to think straight for once. It would be best if she stayed put for now. If Sphynx is alright, he is probably looking for her right now in worry and is just as panicked as she is. Running around the place would only make things more confusing for his nose.

Despite thinking logically, Parsley has to clench her hands to cease the trembling. It is not really working.

" **AAAAAAH**!"

Her blood freezes for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. Flinching is nothing new either, but rather what made her body react this way is what has changed. It makes the breath in her throat hitch.

Someone is screaming – a bloodcurdling sound.

Robotically, Parsley turns around to see a burning glow in the distance. It flickers, and her heart skips a beat. _Fire?_ The breath hitches for the second time and her feet glue themselves to the ground.

The screaming continues, and she backs away in fright. This doesn't sound good.

She finally smells something. It is itching to her nose and makes it wrinkle in distaste – the stinging smell of smoke. The kind of smell Parsley was used to from small camping trips with her parents. The fire would always be made, and they would cook the meal with that. Rather simple, but fun nonetheless, especially when she was much younger. The times the wind blew the smoke into her face, though, were anything but. Her eyes would always water and breathing became hard – a natural reaction to smoke.

However, Parsley isn't sitting in front of a campfire right now. And this is definitely not giving her any happy thoughts.

She should really get away and fast.

 _I have to find Sphynx!_

Her body whirls around, nearly colliding with a nearby tree. She feels dizziness and starts running again.

"MRAW!" A hitch pitched scream of an animal halts Parsley on her steps. It is a feral sound, but one that is familiar.

The young woman's face flashes with different emotions and shades of colors from pale to bright but settles on white and a twisted look of horror. She covers her mouth and turns around, watching the flames and expects – hopes – that there are wild cats in the area.

* * *

He isn't sure how he ended up in this predicament, it was not his intention to get captured nor found by anyone other than Parsley. But here is now, trashing around and waving his claws and fangs at the one holding him by the scruff of his neck. The grip is unwavering, though, and he can sense the hidden that it considers him just another annoying cat… at least, that is what Sphynx is wishing.

The air, more specifically the scent clinging to this human's person, is strong. It cloaks him thickly, wrapping around every single limb better than the sorry excuse of clothes he is wearing. Though, the fact is also disturbing, for the scent is repulsive and clearly mostly coming from the dark blood splatters all over his chest's bare skin. It is clear from the way that he isn't injured that he has been the one inflicting damage to the corpses that are scattered just ten feet away behind him.

And finally, there is a long deadly three ended scythe being held by the other hand. The thick red liquid is dripping down from the sharp ends.

Sphynx trashes more violently with full intentions of getting away from this madman.

Strange colored eyes – _pink? –_ they could be purple – stare down at him with a glimmer in them. That shines is just as crazed as the rest of his appearance. It makes the hairs on the cat's back stand up even more, if possible.

It is not only those warning signs that come out clearly, but the bloodlust emitting from the human is enormous.

Sphynx manages to swipe the hand holding him with his paw. The sharp end must have broken the skin because the man's face twists in displeasure.

"That fucking hurt, furry piece of shit!" His piercing voice hits the cat's sensitive ears hard. The human starts shaking the feline violently. "I will gut you and-"

"Are you done already?" A gruffer voice asks, cutting off the silver-haired male.

The magical cat feels even more uneasy and recovers from the shaking he has received. _There are_ _ **two**_ _of them?_ His eyes narrow and he wishes his claws could become longer. This situation is just getting worse and worse for him.

If this other human is associated with this maniac of a man, then there is no way that he is any safer now.

And he seems to be right, judging by the appearance of the new arrival. He smells different, but there is no mistaking of that heavy and repulsive stench of blood. Not to mention when golden eyes rise and meet with green eyes – the white part is replaced with a disturbing color of red – that stare down at his small form with one of the coldest looks Sphynx has ever witnessed. They seem void of any emotion and the greyish mask covering the face so that those two orbs can only be seen does not make reading the person any easier.

Compared to the one holding him by the back, this one is different, but not so far from being the same with his partner. He has that dark smell on him as well, that atmosphere that is screaming Sphynx's instincts to get away as soon as possible. Though, this aura is much heavier and deadlier, like a snap of a finger could make it tear anything on its sight.

A low growl escapes from Sphynx's throat. All of sudden, he is not trashing but stays rigid with tension on him.

The black cloak with a strange, whirly red cloud pattern is eerily familiar. Of course, he remembers where he has last seen it. There is no mistaking from those strange metal plates with over scratched symbols on them.

 _Why are these people here of all places?_ This is in the middle of a forest, in the middle of the night. Sphynx's thoughts are brought to order from just a single glance towards the bodies. They look tortured and more pitiful than a minute ago. In the end, it really doesn't matter why they are here and why they killed these people – there is no mistaking the fact that they are more like animals than innocent humans passing by.

He really wishes that Parsley is far away and safe from this scenario. That she didn't hear the sound of the dying and see the flames that are clinging to nearby bodies and trees. There are clouds gathering and Sphynx can smell that it will rain soon. Hopefully, the rainwater will be enough to extinguish the fire.

 _Still…_ the cat can feel a bit sympathy towards the dead on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, old fart," the silver-haired man grumbles and shakes Sphynx again. The cat yowls back. "Just let me kill the vermin, first."

 _Vermin!?_ Sphynx growls out again and tries scratching the man with his claws. He can't stand his hold on him, especially when he knows that they have taken lives and are definitely stained with blood. He doesn't really think of caring that he will be killed if he continues struggling like this.

Something in the green eyes hardens, the emotion in them is close to irritation. "Whatever. Just get it done with. We don't have time for…"

The more intimidating of the two men has stopped speaking in the middle of a sentence and seems to be staring at something further away. It becomes silent all of sudden, only the cracking of fire breaks it now and then. But despite not saying anything anymore, it is rather clear that something has caught the man's interest.

Sphynx can sense the tenseness that surrounds the large male. It starts spreading all over his furry body as well – not that he wasn't tense enough, to begin with. However, he wonders more what has made the giant man so silent.

Apparently, the one covered in blood has the same thoughts. "…What is it?"

When his partner doesn't answer, though, he leaves it at that and slightly turns to look whatever he is focusing his attention on. Because of this small movement, golden cat eyes can also catch a glimpse towards the trees.

His heart stops for the second time tonight. Whatever comfort and confidence he has had in the thought that his most precious person would be safe vanishes in a second. His eyes widen in horror from seeing a glimpse of familiar amber brownish hair trying and failing to hide behind the trees.

Without much of a thought, the cat opens his mouth, fearing that this word will be the last one he will ever be saying to Parsley.

In his eyes, he sees the years he spent with her.

"RUN!"

* * *

Parsley flinches and the breath stops moving into her lungs. The only thing that gets into her throat is her beating heart that increases its pace. Her muscles tighten as she processes the shout she heard – _Sphynx._ He wants her to abandon him? The thought is so unthinkable that she starts to wonder if she heard it wrong. The young woman is certainly hoping it. However, does he even know that she is hiding behind the trees? That can't be – she has hidden well enough, right?

The cogs in her panicked mind work very slowly. A cold pit appears where her stomach once was, and she becomes a rigid rock. Somehow, the reality comes crashing down. She has been spotted alright. Otherwise, Sphynx wouldn't probably scream like that and with such desperation. Her hazel eyes glance to the side, hoping to see her friend somewhere near, but they catch the sight of something else entirely. There are corpses all around the bare ground, alright. It had made her almost puke when she came nearer and saw them a few moments ago, but now she is mortified from the fact that whatever had done this has spotted her.

Whirling around from pure instinct, Parsley's escape is cut short when her airway is suddenly blocked by a hand.

The young woman chokes, eyes blurring as the hand tightens around her neck. She raises her own to try and pry it off with her nails – a futile try.

She trembles and twitches, as her feet are barely touching the ground anymore. _W-w-w-who?_

Everything is so unclear and Parsley chokes again when she is fully being held in the air by her neck. And through her blurry vision, she can barely detect features of a person. However, she can't tell if the one choking her is a human or merely another magical creature. Parsley is only certain that she is terrified once again.

Through the buzzing in her ears, the young woman hears something, but then she is swung forward like a ragdoll.

Her back collides with the ground and it knocks further air away from her lungs. Her body skips on the hard surface few times like a peddle on the surface of a lake. Through the clothes, she feels the rocks scratch her skin irritably, but then it all comes to a stop. She is now laying on her stomach, cheek stinging from the collision. She coughs violently, limbs like jelly and unable to help her get up – Parsley would feel paralyzed were it not for her coughs shaking her shoulders.

She wishes that whatever had just thrown her would have broken her neck or something. Now, she feels so bare and vulnerable, when there are no trees covering her… Though, considering that she was found, they must have not provided the protection she needed.

Maybe, in a few seconds, she will become just another corpse in the clearing.

"Who the fuck is the- OW! That bloody hurt!"

Shortly after that unfamiliar voice screams, Parsley flinches back from feeling something warm nuzzle into her neck. She actually lets out a small yelp, but then freezes from seeing Sphynx close to her face. He is peering into her eyes with intense worry and once again pushes his face into the crook of her neck. From this angle, the mage can see her familiar's fur ruffled up, but other than that he seems unharmed.

His cold and wet nose brushes against the skin of her chin for a second and tears of relief immediately flood over. She hugs him, burying her own face into his fur, relishing the brief moment of peace and tranquil, even while they are surrounded by a massacre – the detail she wishes to bury away.

"I am sorry for leaving," Sphynx whispers softly, his one paw placed on her shoulder as an attempt to hug.

She merely shakes her head, lower lip trembling. Honestly, in any other scenario she would be yelling, but not now. Not when they could die soon.

"Idiot, why did you let the cat go?"

"The little fucker bit me!"

From behind the curtains of her hair, Parsley looks towards the voices and stiffens, arms tightening around her friend protectively. Her hazel eyes are as wide as plates and they look up and down at the dark coat on one of the two men. There is a red cloud on it. She trails her tearstained gaze up to see a metal plate and the world comes crashing down.

 _W-why?_

The second man's appearance sends another jolt of fear through her body. He doesn't wear a cloak and is bare-chested, but the long scythe with three ends, blood splatters. It is the appearance that of a death god – inhuman, bloody and terrifying. The silver hair only adds the gravity with its unnatural glow as fire flicks on it.

Her mind becomes blank when the one wearing a mask snaps his attention to her. She holds Sphynx even tighter, shaking like a leaf on the ground. Somehow, this one man's gaze is… terrifying.

He is tall, broad and the mask hides mostly his face, his expressions. But you can see the area between his eyes and it is wrinkled what is obviously a frown, which doesn't seem to be a good sign. And there is also the possibility that he is the one who choked the young woman a moment ago without much of a blink.

Suddenly, the man pulls out a medium-sized book out of his robes and starts flipping through the pages. His eyes seem to narrow before he stops on one spot and looks back at Parsley.

When Sphynx starts growling under his stare, his frown seems to grow. This only causes the woman to try and quickly hide the cat in her arms by becoming a shield. The man has not moved in for an attack, but the dark gaze is strong enough to strike fear. It is slightly funny. Until now, Parsley always thought that looks can't kill – in a bad way – but now she feels as if she is slowly being strangled again.

She dips her head, thinking between submitting in fear and casting a spell to escape.

"Hey, Kakuzu, shouldn't we just kill the bitch and the furball now?"

Parsley squeezes her eyes shut and holds angrily squirming Sphynx in place. _Think. What spell and what, then?_ These two must be from the same group as that man with red eyes and the shark-like creature – her skin crawls from the memory. So, she could create another large volume of water like last time. _That is, it. J-just stay calm._

"Idiot," the scariest of the two says bluntly.

"What!? Care to repeat that fucking greedy miser!?"

 _They are distracted!_

She raises her hand, draws every bit of magic into it that she can and holds out her hand towards the two.

Their eyes turn towards her just a moment before the water is released.

It sprays out with massive pressure and with such a great amount that hazel eyes widen in shock. When she had done this before, the oxygen had been limited and she was barely able to see everything that had happened, but now… she feels amazed and terrified of what she has done. Never before has Parsley – the one everyone had always ridiculed from her weak and terrible spell casting skills – ever felt such power while wielding magic.

She doesn't feel the pain of being drained of lifeforce or the strain of holding the spell together. Everything just flows out, quite literally.

"Parsley, run!"

Sphynx's voice snaps her back and she quickly stands up, hissing slightly from the pain on her body before running towards the forest, glancing once at what she has created. The water continues spraying out like there is a phantom of her hand still casting it – this way, they buy time to run from both the men and the water that will probably start flooding to their direction as well. Hopefully… the water will wash away the blood.

The forest has not become any less dark, but somehow Parsley's eyes have finally gotten somewhat used to it. That, or she is lucky to be running on the path she made while running much earlier. Her footing is slippery and unstable, though. _Run, run, run!_ She doesn't glance back anymore, only looks forward.

However…

"Where do you think you are going, bitch!?" A maniac laugh echoes and pierces her ears.

The mage nearly freezes and screams, when something flies right past her. It barely touches her, but she feels a sudden coldness and a sound of dull thud makes her look over her shoulder. Just as she had feared – they have gained on her.

And whatever had just flown past, it was meant to hit her.

"Damn! I missed!" The man curses, but his loud words do not make her feel any better.

 _They are going to kill us!_ The dreadful thought of the reality makes tears blur Parsley's eyes. But she does not stop and continues running with even more despair on her steps.

Her escape is once again cut short by a force that slams her back.

The mage's back collides against a tree and she gasps, falling down to the ground while clutching her friend to her chest. The force feels like it was enough to make her bones crack and she fears something really is broken for it is like hot coals are being pressed down on her skin and her bones and muscles cry out in pain. Hazel eyes close tightly, but tears do fall and Parsley whimpers weakly. She can't get up.

The speed the move had happened is astounding. One moment… she had been running and the next thing she felt was how something had just slammed her to the side. These people and their speed have already been proven to be superior, but now it has only made her realize how naïve she was from thinking that one spell like that could work twice. These men must have been informed by their comrades of what happened more than a week or two ago.

Someone stands before her. Parsley can tell from the way Sphynx has grown extremely tense and the heavy presence blocking the little light that radiates from the fire still burning a distance away. "Quit messing, Hidan. If this one will get away, I will kill you."

"Shut up! I will kill the whore and the cat and you can't-"

"I said shut up," the one standing before her growls, making Parsley cover back as much as possible with aching limbs.

 _A-a monster._

"Do you even remember Itachi's last report? Use your brain for once," the man says with clear annoyance in his tone.

Parsley cries out loudly when a hand grabs her head by the hair. She recognizes immediately, the same roughness and merciless act of causing pain. She feels as if the roots are pulled out and gasps, stretching her body up to ease the pull. But, it does, little to help and she whimpers, cracking her wet eyes open to see the man glaring holes into her.

"Let her go!" Sphynx yells and lets out an animalistic sound, jumping out of her arms.

Her heart drops when she sees the man's other hand move a fraction before the sound of slamming resonates on the forest floor.

"Hidan, take care of the cat," the man orders his partner, sparing the cat that he must have…

"N-no!" Parsley chokes on her own words, trembling and reaching out to pry the hand in her hair off. _A spell, use a spell!_ She lets her one hand be free and lowers it to perform yet another trick. "L-leave hi-"

A sickening crack fills the air.

Parsley's eyes widen, as the pain so horrible and excruciating – the kind nobody wants to experience in their lifetime – spreads all over her hand. Her mouth opens, and a shrill scream scratches her throat into a bloody mess, until a large hand cover over half of her face. It muffles her screams but does not stop them. Parsley cries, the sound trying to convey some kind of power to stop the anguish she is in. The hand gripping her hair does not falter, but grips even harder and shakes her head roughly. This adds more pain that takes it and she cries out, despite the hand feeling as if it will crush her face. Her hand has fallen limply to her side, but the movement has caused another jolt of pain and she has mostly stopped failing around. It feels like the bones have been crushed, the muscles being pierced by those small sharp pieces and the veins have burst. Any sensation from the middle of the hand to the tips of the fingers is nonexistent.

Her ears ring, she can't breathe, and the tears won't stop flowing out. She is hurting in more than one way. She wishes to see what has happened to Sphynx, at least that is what she thought previously. Now, all that remains is the inner scream to stop the agony of a broken hand and the enormous fear she is now in.

"Shut up!" The man orders her, but she won't stop. Rather, Parsley can't seem to bring herself to stop screaming.

 _It hurts!_

"Kakuzu! Shut the bitch already! Ugh! Let's just kill her!"

The hand on her face squeezes, digging into the flesh and crushing the bone. She chokes, the screaming limited to the back of her throat. She wants to open her mouth, now, though. The mage wants to ask: _Why are you doing this to us?_

When she opens her eyes, all she can see is the pair of those green ones surrounded by red staring – glaring down – at her. Even with her blurry vision, the cruel nature is visible in them.

Her body is numb, and everything fades into black abyss.


	13. Chapter 12: A face of fright

**Now, I want to thank you all of those guests who have commented on my story since the last update. Your short comments have been very encouraging.  
**

 **Few who have been keeping up with my story more than a while might notice that there are fewer chapters than what there were near the end of 2018 :). Rest assured, I have** _ **not**_ **deleted the story in a way that it seems, but I have merely done some grammar corrections, put a few two chapters together into one full chapter etc. So, the story and the plot is the same. There is no need to worry about that – no need to panic.**

 **Unfortunately, as I edited the chapters, some of the replies to comments you readers have sent me got deleted :(. I am truly sorry about this, but I still want all of you to know, how much support you have given me with each and every comment and that even now I am looking at what you have written to me with a smile on my face.**

 **That is all, for now. I hope that you will all enjoy this new chapter and happy New Year to you all.**

* * *

 _Chapter 12_

 _A face of fright_

* * *

When she opens her eyes, the first thing she takes note of is how uncomfortable the position she is in is.

Every limb is either close to complete numbness or just plain discomfort and Parsley wrinkles her face at first from confusion. This doesn't make sense and she winces from a sudden sharp pain at the back of her head. It drums and throbs, when she tries to turn to her side and crack her eyes open to see the bright and painful light of the day. Her green eyes blink up, but she winces again from the tenderness of her right hand.

She is laying underneath a tree.

Slowly, the young woman looks down at her hands to see that they are tried together, but it's the state of her right palm that freezes her blood and makes her remember. _Dear god,_ if her hands weren't tied together, she would cover her mouth in horror. The area in the middle is what can only be described as a color between purplish and maroon.

The fog is clearing in her mind and green eyes look up with a snap. Ignoring the crack in her neck and shoulders from the movement, Parsley's breath stops moving into her lungs.

Sphynx is laying next to her, clearly unconsciousness with the way his small body rises and falls calmly and how his golden eyes are closed. He is fine, but even he has ropes around him. She doesn't even have to look twice into her memories to know why this situation is familiar to her.

"Best not to try anything."

Parsley's heart literally jumps up to her throat and her eyes meet with those bizarre colorful ones that stare down at her hard from a further distance away. Despite there being space, Parsley knows he could easily appear just inches away from one wrong move.

Her body knows how to react first – the broken hand throbs and is brought from instinct closer to its owner's chest. Heartbeat picks up and vocal cords clamp shut and all that is left is a mute statue – she can't breathe. They are once again at the mercy of these headband people and the dread grows, when her eyes trail down to the red cloud pattern which is stark against the black cloak.

Phantom hands hold both her neck and tender and a broken hand.

Events, flashbacks from the night before everything went literally dark push their way into the mage's mind. Parsley swallows thickly from the memory of the crushing hold. She doesn't dare to blink but has an urge to crawl up and run away as fast as she can.

There are questions, but her lips remain shut. The invisible hands are still clutching her throat.

"Oi, Kakuzu!" A voice hollers from the side, making the mage jump and the one called 'Kakuzu' turn his head slightly towards the person who steps out of bushes. "You old shit! What are you just sitting there for!?"

It's the other man cloaked in black and red.

She feels panic again and wishes to faint into the comfortable and obvious dreamworld she was in before opening her eyes. The man with the mask is intimidating, yes, but so is this silver-haired man who has a giant scythe attached to his back. _Hisan… no, Hiddan? Hidan._ A shiver is sent across her spine. He is the one who almost killed her yesterday and certainly said of wanting to do so. Unlike during the night, he does not have splatters of blood. His shadow does not seem as menacing and large like during the time he stood in the middle of flames…

But Parsley can feel anything but at ease from his appearance, even during the daylight. Now, there are two monsters surrounding her and preventing any safety she could have at this very moment. Her eyes dart frantically between the man sitting many feet away and the one still standing and being obvious to her. The latter is a relief, but Parsley fears it will be short-lived.

That becomes reality when the man stops short on his yelling and those strange magenta eyes slide to the woman still tied up on the ground. Their eyes meet and her blood freezes over once more.

 _No, no. God_ _ **please**_ _no._ The mage doesn't dare to draw a breath, as she watches a wide grin slowly make its way to the man's face. It isn't a welcoming sight – the grin is maddening and those strange eyes _gleam_ as they take in her petrified face.

She should be expecting what happens next, but a scream still manages to tear its way out of her throat, when a hand wraps around her neck with a speed of lightning and she is lifted up, a trigger has been set for another panic attack. The airs way is blocked in a familiar way once again.

The face that sends jolts of fear nears hers with mad glee. The hand around her throat tightens and she stops breathing from feeling his breath on her face.

"Fucking _finally_ , bitch."

A shiver goes down her spine. Parsley can't get any oxygen in and her hands have already latched themselves around his wrists. However, her broken hand makes a bad combination with that kind of movement, so she lets out a dry cry of yet another pain. Starts, black spots dance across her vision, when her eyes open and through all of that she can manage to distinguish a blurry image.

 _N-no, s-stop it,_ is what she would like to choke out if it was possible. The tips of her straw shoes are desperately trying to even brush against the ground, but they never reach that goal. This might be the end.

The fingers tighten once again. They are twitching, like containing a wave of anger that is evident from the voice that sounds so far away for her ears. "You are going to pay for what you did to me!"

Her body twitches – _I am going to die…_

"Idiot."

The next action is not what Parsley expects. The hand on her throat lets go and she falls down to the ground while hearing a dull 'thud' from somewhere. Greedily, she starts coughing and inhaling violently and ignores the pain on her back from a collision with the ground. There is air flowing into her lungs – the blood that was blocked from streaming into her head spreads once again.

Her throat is sore, her eyes blurry, but the mage feels nothing but a small sense of relief from being freed.

That relief is brief when a deep voice says: "Don't kill her before we get the information."

"Damn you, Kakuzu! That freaking hurt!"

Parsley has no other second to experience fear or anxiety for her life from the yelling and vulgar language of the silver-haired man when yet another hand grips her from the roots of her hair. She cries out, feeling as if every individual strand is being pulled out. Despite feeling pain, the young woman's hands twitch and further irritate tender broken bones.

She isn't being choked, but…

Hazel eyes crack open to meet with strikingly red and green ones. The bizarreness of not having any whites on one's orbs is almost disturbing – this man is definitely someone to be feared.

He is tall, taller than any man she has ever seen. The dark cloak only adds the intimidating aura, giving him an appearance of power, but something not to be trifled with. Even when over half of his face is covered, the two eyes seem to hold everything needed to make someone like her freeze like ice. She can feel the coldness from the gaze. The frown between it on a tanned skin gives an air of irritation that would not go away any time soon and it only adds the tenseness in the air. There is no way that this man would take any form of messing around or disobedience.

This is the man who broke her hand.

"P-please, s-stop," Parsley whimpers, fear impaling deep into her body.

The frown visible between the mask and the headband does not even twitch nor does the hard look on the man's eyes soften. "Who are you?"

Her lower lip trembles, but when the mage doesn't answer she can feel the hand in her hair tightening and pulling. She winces and cries out, eyes closing immediately. "P-parsley! Parsley Longboard!"

"…What kind of messed up name is that, huh?"

She further stiffens from hearing Hidan's voice. It is bad enough that Kakuzu is holding her hostage by the hair, but the magenta-eyed man had not hesitated one bit when trying to choke the life out of her a few moments ago. He is also the last person she wants to be near her, now. Not that his partner is an exception. The amber brown-haired woman was shaking badly enough before, and currently, she could topple over if the grip on her scalp to loosen its hold.

Her loudly beating heart skips a beat when her thoughts suddenly jump towards her unconscious friend. She can only wish that he will stay silent. Despite being the smartest and calmest of the two, he will lose it, were his charge put in danger – he will definitely try lashing out whether it's sooner or later after he wakes up and sees this.

"Is that even your real fucking name?" Hidan asks as if his partner isn't manhandling her, as if he didn't try to _kill_ her.

Parsley's mouth remains as a thin, but a quivering line. She can only manage a small, almost nonexistent nod with scalp inflating with pain.

Maybe it's because she does a mistake – without a thought, she opens her eyes and glances towards where her friend is still laying, even though she can't really see from the position she is in – but the hand holding her the most painful way possible tightens again. She freezes, gut spiraling.

"What's the cat's name?" Kakuzu asks again.

 _Why doe she want to know?_ She hadn't expected this and almost looks up at him in confusion. However, the hand on top of her head isn't still messing around with its grip. "S-sphynx."

Hidan snorts from the side.

If he and Kakuzu weren't so terrifying, Parsley would throw a look at the silver-haired man. She doesn't understand what his problem is, but she guesses that that isn't so important right now. Her hand throbs and she bites down on her tongue to try and distract herself from the pains coming from different parts of her body. She also doesn't understand the points of these questions anymore. Aren't they just going to kill her anyway? Something is not right here…

Suddenly, the hand in her locks lets go harshly and her body slumps down visibly. The change in forces keeping her up is sudden and the mage stumbles back a bit, before rooting her feet to the ground. Her entire body is still shaking, and hazel eyes shoot up to see the masked man pull out a medium-sized book from his sleeve.

Her heart skips a beat – there is definitely something going on that she is not catching. _What's that book?_ She can't see the context or read the title on it. And when she glances towards Hidan, he is nonchalantly standing next to his partner and looking almost bored and watches how the pages are flipped from one to the next. Kakuzu's expression has not changed, so there is no way to read what he is thinking either.

The peculiar eyes stop skimming through the pages when the pages stop at one opening. A cold sense of familiarity races down Parsley's back from this – he had done this the last night as well. Silence follows after.

Red and green eyes lift up to glare hard into startled hazel ones. Her back stiffens and she stops breathing for a second.

"What the fuck?" Hidan's sudden vocalization makes Parsley's frozen state shatter and she looks at him, sweat trailing down the side of her head. He is leaning closer to the book now, boredom gone from his features. There is a frown, and magenta eyes blink more than once while peering down at the book.

Next, the silver-haired man whips his head towards her and she jumps from the movement. His gaze is almost accusing and the frown on his features just deepens. The mage starts sweating heavily and her eyes dart between the two men in anxiety.

"You have got to be kidding me," Hidan mutters, sounding rather annoyed. He looks up at Kakuzu. "Oi, oi, oi. You can't be bloody serious," when he doesn't get an answer, the frown keeps on deepening. "Don't you _dare_ fucking tell me this is the real reason why she is still alive."

Those words make her blood freeze – there is a reason why she isn't dead, yet? A swelling forms in Parsley's throat and she can't stop a shudder that rips throughout her body. He makes it sound like she could be gone in a second, in a blink… which is entirely possible.

The book is closed. "We have got the right ones."

"Good. Can I just kill them, now?"

By this point, cold sweat is soaking her shirt – her heart literally stopped there.

Every possible sound from nature, from the chirping of birds to the wind moving the leaves, just fades from her ears and everything becomes a ringing silence. An urge to just wave her hand in a poor attempt of a spell nearly makes her hands move, too, until the numbing pain on her hand reminds once again how fatal that could be.

Hana spoke how powerful mages are – how they could easily get the power from around them without risk. But despite all of that, here is one who can barely feel her legs anymore. Parsley knows that she took care of people like these with a water spell two times, but the latter had barely given her any time to get a good head start. Not to mention, even without a mirror, there are definitely blossoming bruises across her body, starting from her neck. Mages have the power, but so do these men.

 _These are monster._

Frantic hazel eyes keep on darting, finally landing on the small feline who hasn't woken up to this scene, yet. Her heart swells from seeing his battered and unconscious form. _W-we have to get away._ She has to find a way.

Suddenly, those strange magenta eyes turn to her, as if sensing her silent intentions. Once again, Parsley turns into a statue and stares back like a frightened and cornered animal. A flashback to last night makes her shiver and the man's eyes sharpen from the barely visible movement.

Hidan smirks – Parsley stops breathing.

"Don't even think about it," Kakuzu says, successfully snapping whatever tension had built up since his partner's words.

At the same time, the said partner's gaze snaps away from her and she could almost sigh in relief. But she doesn't and instead looks at the other man with the same frightened face and clenched and frozen fists at her sides. She still doesn't know what they are really planning on doing with her and Sphynx and the masked-man seems to be the one giving the most orders here.

Green slash red eyes turn to look at the other man with equal sharpness in his own gaze. However, before Kakuzu could say anything else, a sharp animalistic sound rips through the air.

Parsley turns around and immediately feels her stomach sink into a cold pit – Sphynx is awake and causing havoc. The feline is trashing against the binds, teeth bared and golden eyes flashing dangerously everywhere until they settle glancing between the two men and a woman who looks at him with wide and petrified eyes.

"What about the vermin, then?" The silver-haired man asks, taking a step towards the growling animal without hesitation.

The mage panics, but her feet are frozen to the ground and her mind is working miles per minute. The scythe is still on his person and it glints dangerously and sends a dangerous air. She wants to step up to defend her friend but can't move an inch and cold sweat trails down her back, when Hidan leans over her familiar in a menacing manner.

"There is a bounty over its head, as well," once again, Kakuzu cuts off whatever intentions the other man has inside his head. "Do _not_ try anything."

Hidan clicks his tongue but does not pull away from hovering over Sphynx. Instead, a sick smile spreads on his lips from watching the feline continue struggling and violently hissing at him.

She should feel relieved, but his words send a jolt down her spine. Her eyes trail slowly towards him in silent confusion. In the background, she can still hear Sphynx hissing, but it falls to almost deaf ears, now. Instead, Parsley tries to gather her thoughts. _A-a bounty?_ She thinks she heard wrong or at least misunderstood what he means by that word.

Looking back towards her friend, their eyes lock. Despite still being in a state of raw anger, the feline blinks once – a sign that he also heard what was being said through his growling. Although, his expression – he can't do expressions, more like demeanor – does not mirror Parsley. He is calm, or hiding his own thoughts, while her disbelief and confusion are painfully clear.

Hidan suddenly straightens up and turns away from the cat in a leisure manner. "But really. This must be a fucking mistake, Kakuzu."

Before she can blink, something hard is slammed into her stomach, reaching deep into her gut area. The air is knocked out and the young woman falls down to the ground, clutching her stomach and tears burning her eyes, as raspy sounds between coughs and inhaling escape past her lips. She is on her knees in a second, curled up into a ball.

"Parsley!" Sphynx yells out both in shock and fury.

Through her coughing and desperate attempts to inhale air, the collapsed mage hears Hidan's voice say: "See? This can't be the same person."

"The face and the name match – there is no mistake here. Now, stop fooling around," Kakuzu says back, but there is an edge to his tone once again, which makes Parsley keep her watery eyes on the ground. It seems to be possible, considering how her stomach feels like its content would be emptied soon.

Another loud growl pierces her ears and fear crawls up and down her spine along with worry. "You _damn_ human! I will slice you to pieces and tear your throat _open_!"

Shakily, she raises her head, almost ignoring the throb from one of her hands which touch the ground during her struggle to rise up. Her hazel eyes look at the friend who fights in a feral way that makes him seem almost unrecognizable along with his filthy fur. Their eyes don't meet anymore. He is too focused on the two men, but probably more his anger is directed at Hidan, by now. This worries her the more she sees the determination of going through with his threat growing in his slit golden eyes.

 _N-no, don't._ She shakes her head weakly at him, but her face screws up, when another wave of pain passes over her stomach. There seems to be nothing but pain consuming her body now. She withers from the inside, knowing and accepting once again the fact that she couldn't even blink before the damage was done. Parsley takes in a long breath, teeth clenched and clattering. Why can't this cat of hers realize that there is nothing he or she can do at the moment? Even with her mind almost blank, Parsley can tell how hopeless it is to resist, especially with that kind of courageous attitude.

"Oh, yeah?" Hidan's voice is smug and when she looks up, he is once again looming over the feline. From this angle, his deadly smile is half-visible. "Would like to see you fucking try, furball."

"I _will_ ," Sphynx growls back, not even attempting to hide the venom.

The silver-haired man leans further down, the smile only seeming to widen further. "Ha! Yeah, right. I'll make two fine sacrifices out of you before you can even _bloody_ try."

The cat's ears flat down against his small head when it is clear what – or who – would become the second victim to this man's schemes. Involuntarily, those golden cat eyes meet once again with glassed over hazel ones. The latter seems to grow wider and rounder. Parsley's heart nearly leaps out of her ribcage, mind wandering once again to the massacre she witnessed last night. She feels sick and stops breathing once again, body shivering like a leaf in the wind. All the thoughts of escape fade and she once again can't think for herself.

"Enough, Hidan. Let's go."

Those words are the last ones she hears before there is a harsh hit on the back of her head.

* * *

"Parsley!" Sphynx screams again, frustrated and blinded beyond what is called anger.

He struggles against the tight binds, as he watches his friend's body fall limply down to the ground – first to her knees, hazel eyes surrounded by redness cloud over, and then the rest of her slumps down completely. And when she doesn't make another move, the furs on his back rise up, especially from the large shadow of the man responsible for her sudden state standing just next to her unconscious form.

His ears are ringing from many different reasons. Last nights beating has certainly presented itself in a form of muscle pains all over his body. The moment he woke up, a numbing pain had indeed shot up and down on one of the back paws – something must be broken or at least dislocated. Despite all of this, he doesn't stop wriggling and reaching out with his fangs and claws towards the ropes holding him almost in an immobile.

However, even he has his limits and he stops shortly after Parsley's fall. Instead, he goes deadly still, doesn't blink and glares at Kakuzu with every piece of hate he can contain and not explode. Reason has flown out of the window. This isn't wise. The familiar should stay calm for his mistress and analyze the situation further. She isn't dead, she is breathing, but he hadn't missed that unnatural color on her hand and every now and then a look of pain on her face. The same expression had doubled, when she took that blow to her stomach from the other man who Sphynx can't wait to get his claws on.

"I will _kill_ you," the familiar doesn't shout, but his voice is clearly dripping with both his low growling and anger.

Green and red eyes meet his heat blazing gaze coldly. "I do not think you are in a position here to make threats. "

Hidan steps next to his partner, one hand slung over the handle of his scythe and a smirk playing on his lips, as he looks down at Sphynx with sick amusement. The feline feels his claws unconsciously flexing.

If the cat that tendency to bite down on his tongue harshly, just like humans, he would be doing it right now. The masked-man is right – in this short time that he had watched one of the captor's actions and expressions behind the mask, Kakuzu has proven to him that he is the most level-headed, if not the most dangerous one of the two men. That is why Sphynx doesn't take his words lightly. Not when he can't almost see any emotion from his eyes that are lacking pupils.

There would be no hesitation on ending this all from them if he chooses this moment to act. Even when he has found ways of escape, Sphynx feels a slight doubt clenching his gut. Like his magician – she is now a mage – who would be caught between the fight that he would start. They may not be killed, for whatever reason or this strange 'bounty' he has heard of, but there is no doubt that their physical harm would not get in the way of these two men.

His eyes once again trail down from the objects of his current loathing towards the woman on the ground. The sight of her makes him wonder just how long she had been awake before he too had opened his eyes and see them both tied up with these _beasts_ watching. He wonders how terrified she must have felt.

" Why are you doing this?" He asks with that same dangerously calm tone filled with acid, catching a glimpse of a single tear that has frozen on Parsley's pale cheek.

Hidan lets out a snort. "Believe me, if this old motherfucker wouldn't have stopped me, I would have –"

Kakuzu cuts him off by stepping forward and past the unconscious woman. He is now in front of the feline who lifts his golden eyes to glare up at him. The look on the human's eyes makes his fur stand up for the second time, though.

"It is within our sources of information that you two have interfered with our organization's plans," there is barely noticeable movement between his hidden eyebrows, "which brings up the question what are the two of you after. From what village are you from?"

Sphynx blinks for what feels like the first time since he woke up. His guard is shrugged off from the question, it confuses him just as much as the man's previous statement of a bounty. However, he stiffens once again.

"What are you talking about?"

There is a thick silence. It is so heavy that his small heart picks up its pace and if he could sweat just as visibly as a human, he would. Which is exactly why he is glad to be born what he is – an animal's face can reveal much less, and their eyes can be shrouded behind a lock that can't be opened and see what is inside. But to his absolute shock and almost horror, he can see nothing on the human man's face either.

Kakuzu's mask is still in place, but there should also be a slight movement either in his gaze or facial muscles – nothing happens. Sphynx can't see what he is thinking and feels the gut-wrenching feeling within his stomach growing. He remembers there being people like this man back in that same place where he had been caged and interrogated during the time period when even he couldn't understand what this place was. Nearly all of those who had tortured him, those who showed no mercy on him or Parsley had had that same gaze – empty, a bottle without anything filling it, a void, _heartless_ … Although, there is one difference and that is how those others had had even a slight hint of light in their orbs. Kakuzu has none. There is no peck of blood on him, unlike how Hidan had been last night, but even without evident signs of being a murderer, Sphynx smells the odor of heavy metal emitting from him.

The cat's long ears flatten against his head, once more. Suddenly, he doesn't feel that sure about the own blankness of his expression or how much longer he can ignore the pain radiating from one of his paws. Even now, while being stiff, he can feel the numb and burning discomfort. Until now, he had thought he has seen the cruelty of humankind, but somehow – his instincts are screaming – he starts to see that he has not witnessed it all after all. He can see it, how this man is capable of making his blood freeze to the very core.

In a second, the magical cat has made his decision. He has to be careful from now on. No more threats that could be proven to be empty. He would only be endangering his and his friend's safety and lives further.

"Kakuzu, are you going to kill the cat, or not? We don't even need it and its head ain't worth that much."

"I already told you to forget it, Hidan," Kakuzu turns around and suddenly picks up Parsley like a sack of potatoes slung over his shoulder. The movement is so quick and unexpected that Sphynx can only hold in another row of death growls.

There are more questions, but those can wait.

* * *

 _Parsley blinks, watching her faint reflection on a window. It blinks back at her, eyes almost blending in with the golden and brown leaves falling off from a tree on the outside. It is autumn, soon winter, and its cold weathers are dropping degrees faster than whatever the brown amber haired woman is doing while sitting in her place. She hears faint mutterings around herself but doesn't bother pinpointing their meaning or who it is speaking. It is like her head is under water._

" _Miss Longboard," a voice says her name rather sternly, snapping her out of the dreamland. Funnily, it is much louder than the constant murmurs she has been hearing and it makes her jump visibly and turn for the first time to the front. "Care to repeat what I just said?"_

 _The teacher has a serious look on his face, brows knitted together and making his already narrow glasses seem much thinner. A book is open before him – it is thick and definitely filled with more pages than what Parsley has in hers. The gaze is piercing, though, and makes her stop thinking about how much easier her reading will be for the rest of the year._

 _The class has fallen into silence, but soon enough other students are turning their heads towards the daydreaming woman. A lump forms in her throat and her hands turn sweaty when she takes a note how smiles spread across their lips. They are amused and mock her with those expressions. Parsley hates the constricting sensation building up in her chest by each second, as she is unable to decide what serves a bigger threat to her: the teacher or her classmates. The latter will without a doubt make fun of her later. But the former does awaken more fear in her, because of that unsympathetic gaze from causing all of this attention on her._

 _A rise of an eyebrow. "Miss Longboard, I am waiting."  
_

" _R-right," her hazel eyes quickly dart down, but the words that have been written in clear English turn into a blunder. More sweat starts forming in her armpits and hands. This isn't her language and she starts fearing that this is entirely wrong class she is in._

" _Come to the front of the class, Miss Longboard."_

 _She wants to refuse immediately, wants to dig her nails into the seat as hard as she can or even pretend to have a heart attack, but in the end, she is standing where the teacher ordered her to in a second. She doesn't even feel like she moved to begin with and is left frozen standing in front of the greenish board with shockingly white writing imprinted on its surface. She can't make sense of it either._

 _Another light second passes and she faces the class, heart in her throat. Parsley can hardly recognize any of them. It must be how poorly the sunlight is let in through the windows, or the fact she feels so nervous and stiff that she can't even move a muscle. Her eyes are merely gazing at every student in the room with fright like they are going to eat her. She has never liked to stand in this spot, she hated and hates it with every possible way. The sheer anxiety and irrational fear it causes her is just numbing. Her breathing is cut short._

 _The disoriented faces of the people start morphing into more angular and firmer shapes. The familiar baby fat used to be seen on the faces of teenagers fades and more matured and rougher facial features replace those. In place of students, there are multiple rows filled with men wearing dark clothes. All of them have the same cold glint in their eyes, sharpness that is far worse than the mockery from before and deadly. What appears even colder are the silver headbands decorating each of the heads just above the drawn in eyebrows.  
_

 _Parsley can't breathe and slowly turns to look at her teacher – a bad choice._

" _Kisama wa doko kara kimashita ka?"_

 _She doesn't understand a word that is being said, but there is familiarity in that voice and the tone. Also, the thin and savage-like scars are enough to jolt her memory._

 _It is those pair of dark eyes that glare down at her that make Parsley try and back away. Her limbs remain still, though. As if some kind of force is keeping them in place… or rather the chains that are currently wrapping around her, covering her entire body._

 _The face of her teacher has turned into that of her former captor and torturer – one of those monsters of her nightmares. It is a reminder that she is still trapped within this strange world and that this is not the familiar classroom from her past – it is the room where she had been tortured and kept as a prisoner._

 _ **Not again.**_

 _She struggles, suddenly given some motion in her limbs back. But it does nothing now that the chains keep on tightening and even covering her vision._

 _ **Not again!**_

 _At the last second, it feels as if the ends of the cold metal pierce her eyes to the back of her head._

* * *

She wakes up once again, but the sky is not blue or filled white clouds anymore, nor is there a sky above her head anymore. A rock ceiling greets her blurry vision and barely visible light gives it greyish and dark shades.

However, some things stay the same – she is tied up, uncomfortable and in pain. _My hand…_ her eyes slide down to both of her palms to see that the bruise has not been her imagination and that swelling has increased. _Oh god,_ is what she wants to let out, but her lower lip trembles instead. If she could, Parsley would cover her entire face and start crying.

Usually, sleep should be helpful. It clears your mind and all of those negative emotions you felt before it. But somehow it isn't happening now. Parsley recalls every vivid detail of what had happened before everything had turned black and even the nightmare she saw after. Her dream had not been helpful; it was one of the most stressful and horrible nightmares she has ever seen. She saw them before, back after she escaped from her captors, but they all had subsidized after a while.

And now, those same nightmares have started tormenting her once again. _Just as I was getting better…_

It isn't completely dark, but Parsley feels as if the darkness of the cave could swallow her up and let her drown or choke on it. She wants to disappear, to pretend to be in her bed, under her comforts and safety of the house, but instead, the stone is cold and makes her recall the situation over and over again inside her head. It is moist and there is no doubt that there is a huge patch of soaked fabric on the back and sides of her shirt – nothing new. It seems as if this world is meant to torment her by uncomfortable surfaces. This is nothing compared to how she laid on grass for days in her own dirt and sweat when arriving to this world… but it stills makes her feel defeated and broken.

"Fucking, shit. Are you going to bawl or something?" A rather too familiar and chilling voice asks with irritation. It is loud and causes the woman to flinch.

She twists her body, suddenly not wanting to let out a sound or _breathe_. Ironically, where there is the opening of the cave and sight to freedom and light, there sits the silver-haired monster casually, blocking that hope of escape and running away. The scythe that had nearly cut her in half is next to him, fully displayed either for intimidation or merely coincidentally.

Their eyes meet and Parsley looks away as if burned, feeling more afraid of the fact that she is laying down and seeing him from this point of view. Her heart literally jumps into her throat and she desperately lets her gaze dart around the ground surrounding her. _W-where is Sphynx?_

"Hey, bitch," Hidan suddenly raises his voice a tad bit and she jumps for the second time. "Are you really the one who ruined the jutsu?"

Her throat goes into lockdown with her mind. Again, slowly, part of her body moves, but this time it is just her eyes that do so. She does not look back into those magenta eyes, though. Instead, she settles into staring at his shoulder, which is almost bare from the way his black coat has been opened at the front.

Just like in her nightmare, she begins to sweat, but this feels cold.

"W-w-what?" is her broken question back. Her voice is faint, almost as if she is out of breath, but the sound bounces against the walls, making it loud enough to hear.

"You deaf?" Hidan sounds irritated again. "I am fucking asking if you are the reason, why I became a _motherfucking_ vegetable for days!"

Parsley flinches again, when his words do not make any sense and how he sounds angrier by the second. However, his rising temper and shrilling voice are obviously one big red flag and she unconsciously starts backing away. It is hard and she can only move an inch back before she freezes up again.

"I-I d-don't…" she stumbles in her words, shaking her head weakly, not understanding yet what he is getting so upset about. It continues to scare her, though, and she wishes to know what it is before it is too late.

Hidan lets out a scoff, mocking. "What the hell? Can you even talk?"

"I-I," Parsley's chest feels tight, she is uncertain what to say and how to say it without invoking any anger, "I d-don't u-understand."

Why has she been left alone with this man? Where are Kakuzu and Sphynx? The last question makes her stomach flip around in worry and distress. While she could be possibly mauled by Hidan, she doesn't even want to think about what could happen to Sphynx. He knows how to handle magic, yes, but only a few simple spells that could do no good against someone over ten times bigger than him. Of course, she really isn't one to talk about that – she is no better. An image of being crushed by a simple stomp from a foot is rather easy to imagine and a cold shudder crawls down Parsley's spine.

"Jashin damn it," the silver-haired man lets out, but it seems to be more to himself, "that old miser should have really checked the bingo book again."

Once again, a sickening feeling crawls into her stomach, but she holds in whatever could be rising up her throat. The attempt doesn't stop the color from fading across her face, though. Whatever warmth there is from those sun rays outside the cave, they don't reach the inside and her. The young woman feels cold and cradles both her injured and healthy hand close to her chest, feeling how the thin, but harsh and long rope prickles her skin.

A shuddering breath enters her lungs and it takes every bit of her small strength to open her chapped mouth and ask: "W-where is S-sphynx? W-what is going t-to h-happen t-to us?"

The man picks up a rock and measures it in his palm in an idle manner. "The hell I know where that Kakuzu has taken your rodent."

"W-what?" Her breath hitches, when her fears start becoming a reality. "W-what is h-he going t-to – "

"Would you fucking shut up already!" He bellows, further making Parsley inch back and away from him.

The rock lands loudly against the stone wall, silencing her questioning and voice which retreats back into her throat. Her entire body turns rigid and she swallows thickly, fearing that the worst is about to happen. She isn't still looking up at him, but keeps her hazel eyes on the ground, and can't luckily see what kind of expression he is making.

"Hidan, what are you doing?" The deep voice cuts through the echo that the silver-haired man's shout created.

The man sitting on the hard cave floor suddenly jumps to his feet. "I ain't doing nothing! This whore here won't shut up! I told you we should have – "

"Shut up. The leader has given us orders and we will follow through them," Kakuzu interrupts his partner swiftly and then suddenly steps into the cave. "Girl. Get up."

Parsley has already become as stiff as the rock she is laying on but being addressed by the same person who broke her hand makes her blood freeze. She was right before – when she had woken up for the first time under the tree – this man is the one she should fear more than Hidan. There is no problem with that, though. She can feel her hand aching already, as she watches the new pair of feet standing just a few feet away and the hem of the black and red cloak barely brushing it.

Like in a military, the young woman starts to stand with urgency… at least tries to.

The minute she pushes her weight up into what can only be a half-sitting position, her head becomes woozy. All the blood flowing normally in her veins gathers up into her head and the hazel eyes start seeing blurry images only. Parsley's heartbeat speeds up drastically and to the point, she fears it is about to burst. _W-what?_ Worried, she tries to pause and take in a deep breath, but the distorting continues and covers her vision with dark patches.

"I said, get up," Kakuzu's voice doesn't lose its sharpness, but she can barely concentrate on it.

Her vision and her body sway more dangerously when she does manage to stand up to her two feet. The ground is so uneven that she fears to stumble with one step, though. And fear is precisely what makes her continue struggling against the urge to lay down. _N-no, no. I- have to s-stay up. T-they –_ _ **he**_ _will k-kill me. I c-can't fall._ Her teeth grit weakly against each other, but no matter what she does to try and reason with her body, the dizziness grows.

Despite her efforts, Parsley slowly sinks down shoulders heaving up and down. Her hands feel slippery, but cold chills keep on traveling up and down her spine. And then, while being terrified for her life, she ponders for the second time… _W-where is S-sphynx?_

"...Hidan, you carry her."

The order is not directed at her this time, but it still makes the amber brown-haired woman freeze.

"Huh!?" Once again, Hidan's loud voice tremors and echoes against the walls. The sound pierces Parsley's ear and makes her flinch from many different reasons – he doesn't sound pleased. "Why the fuck do I have to!?"

She also wants to ask that question, as the dizziness seems to diminish. The last person she wants to have contact with is the silver-haired maniac. Still, her mind keeps on wandering back to her familiar – _Sphynx, Sphynx, Sphynx, w-where are you?_

"I have my hands full with this cat, already. You _will_ carry the girl," with those final words, there is a sound of sandals scratching against the stone floor and towards the opening of the cave.

Parsley raises her head just in time to see unfocusedly a small brown sack clutched in Kakuzu's grip and her heart sinks. For some reason, she realizes rather quickly what is inside and tries to struggle up again. However, this time, her injured hand somehow moves a bit too much and she holds in a cry of pain forcefully – tears well up in her eyes.

"She can walk on her own just bloody fine! Hey! Don't ignore me, Kaku – Argh! What the hell!?"

"Quit your whining and let's go. We are losing time."

"We wouldn't if you just let me kill them," Hidan grumbles, but not too quietly.

She feels sick again from hearing his words. He throws that word around – _kill_ – so easily around, just as much as he lets out curses. Parsley can't almost stand it, but her thoughts are interrupted when hands suddenly pull her up and sling her over a shoulder. She lets out a loud cry, because of the pain now blooming in her stomach and how her injured hand hits the back of the person now carrying her.

 _N-no,_ her whimpers are smothered by her will not to get into trouble or be further harmed. But that does not stop a couple of tears from dripping down her face while hearing Hidan muttering angrily under his breath. She takes in a deep breath, barely able to hold in a wince from the pain caused by the pressure against her gut. _We are going to die._

Where are they taking them, anyway?

* * *

Hana stares and stares at the poster she is seeing against an old wooden board. Despite being in the middle of a very busy market street, the old woman doesn't move from the way but lets others walk around her and continue their walk. Every time someone does accidentally bump into her, she shows no reaction from it or towards the apologizes or insults she gets her way – it is as if she is merely a statue in the middle of the sea of people.

Finally, she moves, but not to continue her shopping or to dodge another person that is in danger to collide with her. Instead, Hana makes her way closer to the board, feeling how the long hem of her cloak is dragging against the dusty road. No doubt she will have to clean it from dirt later.

"Something caught your eye, ma'am?" A man next to the board suddenly asks, halting the mage's steps.

"A new face has appeared here," is her answer, a statement.

The man furrows his brows together. "Wow. You sure have an eye for these – do you take a look at them often?"

She shrugs, looking back at the board, feeling how the sunlight is starting to warm the top of her head. "Not that much, but ya never know what kind of people ya might find."

The man nods. "You got that right. I just took a look at the wanted posters this morning and I have to say, there must be one heck of a criminal on the loose."

"Really?" Green eyes slide over to the board, narrowing barely what is considered visible to others. Hana takes another step forward, hand rising up and hiking down the long and large sleeve along with her arm. Her one lone fingernail graces barely against the paper nailed against the wood. "Like this one, for example?"

The man leans closer, away from the wall he is leaning to. "Yeah. That is the one I am talking about. It is strange, though. I wonder why they would need someone with that high price on their head alive. She must be some sort of daughter of a lord, or something, maybe."

Hana's dry lips quirk up just barely up into a smirk. "A lord? Perhaps."

She says it so, but the image of a woman on the paper could belong to any other than a rich princess. The long and wavy hair is almost like a nest around the pale head. Few dirty strands are hanging parted just next to the left eye, which seems to have an almost bruised shadow to it. Frankly, there is also redness – a sign of harsh crying – in those wide eyes that stare forward like they are seeing a ghost. Those orbs are what really makes this picture different from the rest of the people on wanted posters. This woman's face is not blank, not snarky, nor arrogant or filled with anger, but helpless. It could be almost compared to a lost look of a frightened child.

Hana expression had been stiffed the moment she had seen this poster. Her entire body had experienced coldness in the middle of a climate with the sun shining the brightest. It is almost ridiculous to think about, now. It truly is the face of the one she had taken care of for weeks and with the same look in her hazel eyes. And she is the exact reason for the sour taste that is slowly spreading across the old woman's mouth. Hana doesn't honestly know how to describe what she is currently feeling. Whether it is anger, disappointment, shock, pleasure or something else.

All she now knows is that Parsley is in greater danger than ever before. The young woman hasn't even fully mastered her powers, yet. So… her being out there in the unknown is like setting a puppy into the wilderness.

Slowly, a cynical smile spread across the old mage's face. _I bet ya wish ya would be with me again, Parsley, huh?_

"Anyway, who could have this kind of strange name. Paaalsey Lonhpoat? Ha! Her parents must have really – huh?" The man turns around, but freezes, when the elder lady is not next to him anymore.

And when the man starts turning around to find his previous talking companion, he can't distinguish anyone with similar characteristics.


	14. Chapter 13: Bite, if no claws

**LuciiChaan: If the translation work was correct, then, yeah. I agree with you. She's a bit annoying, but that's just a character I have designed, so sorry. Still, I thank you for a very honest opinion.**

 **Guest(1): On a late note, thank you. One of my parents is a huge Chinese New Year fan when it comes to different animals representing every year. This year is the pig's, right? Anyway, thanks for your comment.**

 **Guest(2): Aw! Thank you! I do not really plan on going along the plot, honestly. If you have noticed, I actually made it so that Gaara's Tailed Beast hasn't been taken yet, because Parsley's transport from her world to this caused the Akatsuki to lose a lot of their chakra. So, there is a bit of a twist in the Akatsuki's plans and the way they will continue from this point. But I will not reveal anything else, for now.**

 **Guest(3): Yeah, I am glad you wrote of your confusion on how the history of magic in OC's and Naruto's world is connected. Honestly, I have yet to fully reveal that detail and Parsley and Sphynx are not even aware of it. They just assume there are magical creatures no matter what world, so let's go with that until the big reveal, shall we. Happy reading!**

* * *

 _Chapter 13_

 _Bite, if no claws_

* * *

The smoke stings her eyes and Parsley closes them, utterly tired to even try inching away from the campfire. It's small, though, barely able to warm up the young woman trembling from the night's chill. The ropes around the limbs feel like they are cutting off circulation, so that might as well be the explanation for that.

 _It hurts._ She bites down on her lower lip, feeling the sting from the small cut she has created and the swelling. Everything on her body aches, excluding the left hand, which bruises haven't faded, but stay the same. The damaged limb has stopped hurting some time ago, but the sight is not exactly what the young woman would call beautiful. The slight color change might as well have been from the force of the grip and not from the breaking process. The outlines of fingers have been pressed on the skin around the palm and the reddish tenderness only seems to glow brighter in the light of the fire. As for the damage underneath the skin… the hand is swollen and if kept and looked at a certain angle, anyone would see the strange shape the limb has taken. It should be treated, but…

There is a kick on the rough dirt covered ground and those small grains from it fly to the flames, causing the fire under them to diminish.

The young woman straightens up immediately, gaze snapping up at the silver-haired man who directs his glare down at her. The look is more than enough to make her otherwise stiff body tremble – Hidan is upset.

"The fuck you looking at?" He hisses, adjusting the scythe on his back.

The action may not be threatening, merely something he does every now and then, but the sight of the handle sends a jolt up Parsley's spine. And her reaction is taken into notice since the next thing that happens is a smirk spreading on the man's face.

The amber brown-haired woman's heart is pounding against her ribcage. She doesn't understand what it's in her reaction that excites him like this, but the expression on his face is bone chilling. The smile doesn't show all of the rows of his white teeth, but it's close enough. Mostly, though, it's that sudden gleam in his strange purple eyes, which makes her skin crawl. The change is absurd and terrifying – it's the same as during the moment when he nearly slaughtered her.

Unconsciously, she leans back, sweating and unable to look away. Limbs twitching from trying to struggle against the binding ropes, Parsley bites down on her tongue and watches the grin on Hidan's face grow even more.

"Hidan," a gruff voice cuts through the heavy atmosphere, "stop fooling around. Let's go."

The silver-haired man's expression drops immediately and is replaced by annoyance. "Tch!"

 _Not again,_ Parsley whimpers deep within her mind and closes her eyes, when the familiar rough hands haul her up to a hard shoulder. Once again, she bites down on her lower lip, not caring how much damage it will cause on it. Her gut flips, furthermore, highlighting how uncomfortable she is by this. Physically and mentally – she's being carried around by a _murderer_.

Suddenly, between the trees surrounding the small temporary camp and the buried fire, Hidan stops "Are you sure, though, that you want me to carry the bitch around, old buddy?"

Parsley stiffens on his shoulder. Something in this doesn't sit right with her. He's speaking in a carefree manner, but it's his question more than the tone, which sets an edge into the atmosphere. There's a reason why she didn't want to be carried by this man in the first place. Not because of how physically torturous it's to just lay on a hard shoulder and let your insides get crushed, but because of the constant reminder of what this man almost did with the weapon strapped on his back. And she has to just stare down at its sharp edges, like right now, and feel the silent threat.

"I mean, I could just fucking kill her while your back is turned and – "

There is a quick breeze, like a north wind in the Windy Mountains – it's cold and swift. A dull thud and a clang of metal fill the air, cutting off his next words, sending a deadly silence into the night and muting any other sound that might exist in the area.

Parsley doesn't move, her face is pale and eyes wide. The scythe she was staring just a moment ago isn't there anymore, in a blink of an eye. The solid surface of Hidan's shoulder she's secured on starts shaking under her stomach and this further sends cold sweat trailing down her back. Whatever has happened – she can't possibly see from the way she's positioned – it has amused this man.

Despite her mind being blank, the young woman notices a slight change in Hidan's position. Earlier, due to the dark cloak, his feet were invisible. But now one of them is in view, like trying to give the rest of the body the balance it needs. The second observation is how his shoulder muscles seem stiffer all of sudden, as well – steady and wary of what might happen next, but still managing to start chuckling.

"Hidan," Kakuzu's growl further thickens the tension. It's a warning sound.

The trembling on the man holding her gradually stops, but when he speaks there's still amusement in his voice. "Oh, Kakuzu, you are making this way too easy."

Finally, a quiet, but shuddery breath manages to enter Parsley's lungs.

* * *

She expects it to happen at some point, but when it does, her insides are already aching and her head spins from the change of gravity.

One second, she is staring emptily down at the ground which seems so far away from her reach and the next Parsley is flung down. Of course, this comes out of nowhere – not that she has much strength left – and she ends up feeling the full impact of the fall on her side and back.

The strands of her dirty hair cover half of her face, but she is able to see the hem of a dark cloak and the pair of greyish sandal wearing feet.

"That's it! I ain't carrying her anymore!" The hollering doesn't even make her flinch anymore, but the young woman does feel how her gut clenches. Hidan has once again lost his patience.

The lack of any liquid, any form of solid food, the strong pressure of someone's shoulder's bone being crushed against her stomach for what has felt like hours, have all started to finally affect Parsley. She remains on the ground, face screwed in pain and slight fear of what might now happen and barely able to move a muscle. The sun continues to glare down at her, though, not caring how much pressure and stress her body has already gone through. And neither seem to be her kidnappers.

She has kept on the count. For some strange reason, the young mage has been able to keep her count of the days that have passed. _Two days, two nights._ All of that time spent moving forward or stopping for a few hours to catch some sleep, the latter has almost never come to her. There is no possible way that she can take on every single bit of this reality in. Or even be soothed to think that everything is going to be alright for her and her cat familiar. Sphynx hasn't been taken out of the dirty appearing sack, at least, not so that Parsley has seen him out of it.

 _He must be suffocating there, hungry, thirsty._ Her hand twitches at her side, aching from the fall, while her other hand remains sore, if not a bit numb. Even now, her injury doesn't seem to be a hindrance to her kidnappers, and she has to fight a desire to cry from seeing her limb _._ Her chest is constricting with worry towards both herself and her friend. _I am so tired._

There hasn't been any rain, almost no clouds for all this time. Only dryness and heat and it has begun to show from how the sweat has gathered and glued her clothes onto her skin. The smell has also made it rather obvious that Parsley is a mess. And while she is like a weak worm, her captors…

"What are you whining about, now? We have already wasted enough time," Kakuzu's voice rumbles from ahead and she stiffens. Unlike Hidan who has raised his voice, the dark man's calm, but the low tone is what makes her skin truly crawl.

"Why do I have to carry the bitch all the time and you get the rodent, huh!?" The silver-haired man questions in irritation.

"You would try and kill the cat," is the deadpan response from the other man and the tension begins to rise quite quickly, despite the fact that he isn't raising his voice, yet.

Hidan pauses, but then chuckles – the sound is ominous, and Parsley stiffens.

"Of course, I wouldn't do that, Kakuzu," he says with a tone that sounds too honest and carefree, laced with sweetness so unlike from the harsh tone he has been using until now.

She stops trying to get up and merely twists her head to look up at the two men. They are already both very tall compared to her, but through the haze, the exhaustion and the brightness of the sun, they are both enormous and covered in black which sucks out all the other colors. _Dark, so dark._

Hazel eyes fall to the brown sack held by one of the two. There is no movement coming from within it, though, and the mage's heart skips a beat in worry. She truly wishes that Sphynx is merely resting and is in a deep sleep – not the kind where he has stopped _breathing_ – and is able to get air in that thing. She isn't really sure if she understands what he's currently thinking, but Parsley sees that the best chances for them to stay out of trouble with these two men, is to keep themselves low and obedient as long as possible.

 _But…_ Her vision isn't clear, but it gets worse when her eyes keep on dropping and blurring over. She knows. Even with magic, she is nothing more than a weak human, now. Her head continues on spinning.

"You try carrying that _thing_ for a change!" Hidan's voice has once again taken that shrill quality, which pierces Parsley's ringing ears rather easily. "The bitch smells like a rat's ass."

"No different than you, then."

"What the fuck did you say!?"

The insult is not what gets her, but rather another thought that fills her fuzzy mind. That man has been manhandling her to this point, carried her for what could be over hundreds of miles and on his shoulder with only one hand to balance… and he is complaining about how she _smells_? The reality of this almost makes her laugh, but her the corner of her lip merely quirks up for a second. She is half dead laying on the ground and he's… _Just what are these people?_

Tired, numb to any sort of sensation, Parsley closes her eyes and allows her body to slowly relax. It happens unconsciously, though. She would much rather keep herself alert in case anything might go wrong in the conversation – she has been listening to their bickering this whole time and knows how they can escalate. Though, frightening, to say the least, she has gotten a small hope from those moments. _Maybe they will finally become too irritated and kill each other this time… or me._

A wave of nausea hits her and a moment later she lets out a small groan in the back of her throat. The fuzziness keeps on spreading and she wishes to just fall asleep there on the ground.

Suddenly, there is a strange pressure on her side. Parsley's response and mind are both slow to understand first that it's someone nudging her with their foot. When she doesn't react, however, it turns into a firm kick to the stomach, which in turn makes some of the air escape from her mouth in a short wheeze.

"Oi, I think she's dead already," Hidan's voice states casually.

The next thing the mage knows is a large hand grabbing her by the skull and pulling her locks so hard that her entire face is tilted up. The feeling is very familiar and not the first time, so she is guessing that it's the other of the two men. And when her eyes manage to crack open, she is proven to be correct in that assumption – a glimpse of grey mask proves it.

Despite not struggling or showing any sign of doing so against the grip he has, Parsley's facial muscles twitch. Her heart beats in nervousness, or maybe because her body is collapsing. Either way, she can still function enough to know what she is feeling is fear.

"Idiot. She is still alive."

A snort. "Doesn't look like it."

The hand lets go of her head and it falls limply back down to the ground. "We were ordered to bring her back alive and the way she appears is far from being just that, Hidan."

"What's with the tone, old fart? Are you fucking blaming me that she looks like this, or what?"

"You can't even take care of yourself without getting your head cut clean off," is the final retort before the young mage feels her head swaying from someone grabbing and hauling her up. Once again, she feels the familiar sensation of having a shoulder against her gut.

"Shut the hell up! You were the one who just stood there and – "

The loud yell of the silver-haired man fades and Parsley blinks slowly. She can feel a shift in the air, how the wind briefly brushes and moves her hair and dress. The ringing in her ears hasn't stopped though and her vision continues being blurry, so she brushes the sudden wind off as nothing more than the trick of her mind. She does, however, acknowledge the fact that she is being carried by Kakuzu now and her insides freeze over. Her entire body is limp, but if she were more aware of things and her head wasn't spinning, she would stiffen and probably stop breathing.

Slowly, she tries to clear the undistinguishable sight and looks down. The first sight is the hands tied up together with a rope, then what appears to be the ground beneath. The long ends of her hair somehow appear like grass, moving and all around her. The fluttering dark cloak with red only shatters that image and keeps on reminding her of where she really is – not in some meadow enjoying the scenery, but on a murderer's shoulder, being carried to gods know where. _Am I… flying?_

This must be part of some kind of delusion she's having. The dehydration must be truly catching on now and Parsley is losing every last bit of sense she has left. Flying may be possible with magic, but she doesn't think that these people are capable of such. No matter how monstrous and undeniably strong they have already proven to be. Rather, she should be having more worries about herself, rather than trying to explain a strange phenomenon while half of her brain cells are dying.

All the blood gathers into her skull causing ringing to rise up in volume in her ears. And through that, she can barely distinguish the loud voice of the silver-haired man she hasn't become that used on hearing. He's upset about something again, but she can't make out what. _What is he yelling about this time?_

For the third time, something suddenly happens, and she's dropped. Parsley can tell from the dull throb on the length of her entire body and the way the entire world seems to be tilted. Only, she doesn't get to watch it more because of her eyes closing heavily. However, her last thoughts before that are along the lines: _What a pretty flower._

Her mind isn't able to become fully unconscious, however. The moment her body is ready to fully become limp, something pries open her open and wrenches her head into an upward position. Ice enters and slides down her throat.

The reaction is immediate – the young woman starts twitching, coughing and opens her eyes to stare through amber brown bangs. They blur from tears that start flowing out and she reaches out to the fingers holding her mouth painfully open and without hesitation plunges her healthy hand's long nails into the person's holding her in place. The thought that this might anger her assaulter doesn't even cross her mind and her entire body forgets whatever tiredness it has been under. Even what should be a pain in her broken hand is merely numbness and aching as adrenaline fills her veins. The rope around her four limbs pulls on her skin, cutting into it from the attempted struggle.

 _Water._

"Gah! Ugh!" She sputters and coughs out, feeling how the liquid fills her lungs and nose, trailing down the rest of her face. Parsley tries screaming, but the water keeps on getting in the way and the grip is bruising.

Finally, the hold falters and let's go.

The mage immediately turns to her side and coughs out all of the extra liquid, gasping for air which enters her lungs next and burns the base of her throat. The lower part of her face aches and no doubt a bruise will be forming at a later date.

"Drink," Kakuzu's voice rumbles.

Parsley's eyes open to see a bottle laying on the ground next to her and suddenly an urge to drink takes over. There is no thought or fear of it containing poison or anything pollute. She reaches out with shaky hands but winces from feeling the pain on her left broken one. Still, she manages to take it and pry open the cork – this time she doesn't choke on the clear and wonderful liquid that fills her half-dry and patched mouth.

"Oh, great," the voice of the silver-haired man drawls out. "Don't tell me we are taking another damn break?"

"We wouldn't need to, if you had looked after this girl," Kakuzu shoots back with annoyance. "Do you think that I have time for this either? I am tired of hearing your constant whining when you're the reason for our delay in the first place. So, for once shut up, or I'll kill you."

"Yeah, right! I wish you could so I wouldn't need to carry this stench covered bitch any longer. Blame me every damn time all you want, but if you had let me just kill her, then we wouldn't be in this motherfucking mess, to begin with!"

It's just when Hidan has finished screaming that Parsley chokes on the water. It's the worst timing – she knows from how neither of the two men talking anymore. Cold ice spreads in her gut and she covers her mouth, smothering the coughs.

"Didn't the bounty say: 'dead or alive'? You wouldn't lose your damn money, greedy miser!"

… _What?_ Slowly, Parsley blinks tears from her eyes and they sting. The bottle is half-empty, so she should drink more – her thirst isn't gone yet – but instead, she looks up at the two men, noting how Hidan is standing few feet away while Kakuzu towers right next to her. The former has a very angry looking frown on his face, but the latter is standing so that his expression is hidden from her.

This isn't the first time the word 'bounty' is mentioned, but it's the first time she has been added to this conversation. Some sort of chill travels down her spine, but not the kind that would give her goosebumps. Instead, the hazel-eyed woman feels sick and fearful. _I have… a bounty?_ A second chill goes down her back and her lower lip trembles for a small second.

A few seconds later, her blank mind receives an image of the men dressed in black, beating and holding her within the grey room. The light shining on her face from the sun is a reminder of that one lamp in that suffocating space filled with the stench of her own sweat and blood from small cuts forming all over her body. The scar-faced man, the blond woman screaming at her and those masked people who brought her and Sphynx into that hell… For some reason, it's those people who come first into her mind from. _Did they… give me a bounty?_ Honestly, asking that from herself feels a bit silly, since who else could have done it? _Is that where these men are taking me, then?_ The mage's face pales, _back to that village?_

Another flashback, of the map Hana had shown her, pops into Parsley's head. She remembers how the old mage had pointed with her bony finger down at the spot where both she and her cat had been shown the horrors of this world and where they suffered the most by the hands of the headbanded men. The name, it had been so long and strange, that the young woman barely remembers it, but the gears in her head start turning.

 _Kono… The village hidden in the…_ The thought is cut off by a strong urge of wanting to run and escape from this place.

"Can you even read? The bounty is the highest, if the girl is _alive_ ," Kakuzu says, pressuring on the words like speaking to a child.

"Does it even fucking matter!? We would have enough to cover up the aftermath of all the Jinchuuriki hunts we have been making anyway! It's only a few fucking hundred ryō and – are you even listening to me!?"

"Kind of hard not to with your screaming," Kakuzu says, the tone switching to clear indifference to what his companion has to say. He's clearly done with the subject and this only agitates the silver-haired man even further.

Parsley looks up and immediately regrets doing so. Green eyes, which are surrounded by bizarre red sclera, glare down at her with the same expression of anger that never seems to leave from Kakuzu's face. Every time, their eyes have locked, the frown is constant between his strange orbs.

He crouches down and once again takes a hold of her jaw with his hand, fingers digging themselves into her flesh, crushing the bones. A startled scream is the only thing that manages to escape from the young woman's mouth before another hand is pushed against her open mouth – something small and solid touches her tongue and she starts panicking, twitching.

"Chew," the man orders, not releasing his hold and glaring into quivering hazel eyes.

She doesn't think, she can't come up with any reply – not that her mouth could even move like this. Her heart merely beats loud enough to make it feel as if it's touching the ribcage and her jaw starts moving painfully, crushing whatever it's in her mouth.

The taste is bitter, but bearable, almost like medicine. It turns from solid to powder every time there is a scrunch between her teeth. However, Kakuzu's hand under her chin barely lets Parsley do the chewing and she has to close her eyes to bear the pain from it and unable to meet his eyes anymore. She prays for this to be over with, already.

After what feels like an eternity, the masked man speaks again. "Swallow it."

The second order is followed much faster than the first one. The bitter taste goes down and the young woman keeps her eyes tightly closed. Her swallowing is stressed by the sound coming from her throat and it's after that that the hands wrapped around the front of her head draw back. Cold sweat gathers up and it's a struggle to keep her tied up hands still.

What did she just swallow? What is going to course through her _blood_ vessels soon?

Hidan lets out a groan. "Seriously, the bitch is like a weak ass civilian. I'm telling you, we've got the wrong heathen. I bet killing her will be just as pathetic."

"Funny, considering how eager you were to finish her off the other day," Kakuzu says almost in a bored tone.

"Kakuzu! Shut the hell up!" Hidan's hollering echoes around the forest, before stomping off so that his footsteps tremor the grass filled ground.

Parsley continues staying motionlessly on the ground, too shocked by what has happened and frightened of the thought that she might have been given something dangerous. The bitterness has not yet gone from her tongue – not that it can in such a short amount of time – and her eyes land on the water bottle. It also is laying on its side and cork open.

Glancing up at the man who almost suffocated her earlier, the mage feels relief upon seeing that he has moved more than a few feet away and is sitting now next to a tree, unfolding a large piece of paper and solely focusing on it. And as for the magenta-eyed man, he has also chosen to sit next to a river, back turned to both of them, probably scowling at his own reflection.

Slowly, as if afraid that they both might feel her wondering gaze, Parsley's focus narrows on a single brown sack laying near her. _Sphynx._ He isn't moving, but there are steady rises and falls of his body inside the fabric– he's still breathing. _He needs to get out,_ hazel eyes glance up at the blazing sun, _it's too hot out here._

The bottle should still have a little bit of water and enough for him if she were to just…

"What are you doing?" The familiarly dangerous low voice asks.

Parsley freezes and immediately whips her head to see Kakuzu's green eyes glaring at her. It has come to her notice many times already, but even with over half of his face hidden, the man's expression is intimidating enough with just the eyes showing,

Her hands falter on the water bottle and she nearly let's go of it. However, the broken hand once again acts up from the small movement and the young woman has to bite back her flinch and a whimper. It isn't that hard, though, for her throat feels like it clamps shut and no sound could escape from it.

Still, it takes every bit of her willpower to open her lips again. "I-I… my f-friend, can h-he have some?"

"The rodent stays in the bag," he says without any remorse and it cuts into her chest like a knife. The man doesn't bat an eye at her expression and keeps his sharp eyes on it.

The image of that small furry face flashes in Parsley's mind. Sphynx isn't a normal feline – he's a familiar. He is the most cunning, kindest and bravest one any magician could ever ask for. He's her friend, someone who has stuck with her to this point. And it's exactly because of those thoughts and memories that Parsley doesn't feel like keeping her mouth shut.

"H-he could die in there," she presses on, despite the fact that her voice is faint and careful. This is no joke. These men are killers and she's trying to reason with one. _This s crazy – I'm being crazy._

Hidan scoffs but otherwise doesn't move from the spot he's sitting on. Hazel eyes keep on glancing at him warily, though, before returning swiftly to stare stiffly into Kakuzu's direction. She isn't really that surprised to see that the wrinkles between his eyes have deepened but does experience another jolt of fear across her otherwise motionless body.

All this stress and fear keep on festering inside her chest almost literally and soon she would no doubt become hysterical. They haven't fed her until now with anything, expecting for her to make it somehow. If she matters this much, then what would happen to Sphynx soon? _They can't let him die, they just can't._ She couldn't stand even the thought of losing her best friend because of these men's ignorance – no, rather than them, not understanding, they lack any kind of emotion. Kakuzu's eyes stare at her blankly, void of anything no matter how irritated he sounds or seems.

… _Does he not have any emotions?_ She is half tempted to look towards the other man. The one who held a maniac glint in his purple eyes the night she saw him swung that scythe of his down at her.

"I said that the cat _stays_ in the bag."

Whatever it's in her stomach, it drops, and her lips form a thin line.

The impatience in his tone just rose and no doubt because of her. Parsley wishes to curl up into a ball and disappear from the plain view – the green eyes glaring at her are like acids. There is no way she is courageous enough to provoke this man any further – her hand throbs as a reminder. He's adamant on Sphynx staying where he's and for Parsley to get that there is no way she can sway his mind. Rather, all the will to do so vanish the second she hears his voice and sees the expression he wears.

Hazel eyes lower to the ground, completely terrified and defeated. The mage does not dare to look at the bag anymore, though, because of the guilt and frustration building up inside. She really can't do anything for her familiar in this condition, not that she could have while being in full strength either.

 _Just what do I have to do to get us both into safety?_ Her teeth sink into her lower lip in deep and desperate thought.

Slowly, Parsley's gaze slides to the streaming river. She recalls the shock she had experience from her first ever successful water spell. Then, the spell she had tried to repeat while planning on escaping with Sphynx from her current kidnappers – she was too slow and ended up with a broken hand, which once again throbs from the memory. And from recalling the pain of broken bone Parsley starts to think that using a water spell would be too mild, even if it could take down an entire forest. These men couldn't be taken down with something like that.

Maybe it's because she got to drink water and rest like this on the ground, but her mind is gradually, but surely starting to work properly again. The dizziness, nauseous sensations and generally the fogginess in the senses are simply gone. And even slower, the temperature of her body rises up with every second a new idea forms in her head.

Hidan's voice cuts off her thoughts, though. "Oi, Kakuzu, I ain't still carrying her all the way back."

There is, yet again, another lengthy silence and Parsley remains frozen stiff on the ground, waiting for what could take place. Honestly, she wishes to be unconscious like more than a few times before during situations like these but is left there to watch everything unfold.

Without another word, the most heavily cloaked man stands up. And with no sound, makes his way to the tied-up woman who further stiffens up by his approach. Finally, without a second of hesitation, he crouches down and pulls out a dark knife. Just like any other one that she has seen, it's equally dark in color and appears just as sharp – it cuts through the ropes around her legs, freeing the limbs from the constricting rough surface.

The breath gets caught in Parsley's throat, as she watches the pieces of the ropes fall down… the fleeting sensation of freedom is short-lived.

"Stand up."

* * *

They are walking, but this time around, Parsley's stomach is not pressed against anyone's shoulder. She's standing and moving with her own two feet across the rocky terrain, swaying slightly from nearly losing her balance at few points. And every time, cold sweat trails down her back.

The sun isn't blazing, it's setting down behind the forests and mountains, cooling the air. The dust covered ground remains warm, though, and brings some sort of comfort for her. It will not be long before there is no warmth left anywhere and the rest of the air will freeze over. The thought makes the young mage uneasy, picturing herself shivering with blue lips, legs sore and covered in dust. _Steady, just keep up with them…_

Her gaze trails up to the two men who both have their backs turned to her. She has struggled to keep up, not understanding how they can still have so much energy after walking through more than an entire forest. The ground has not been straight and narrow, but twisted and full of hills, making it harder for someone inexperienced with long-term exercise to stay in the same pace with those who are not even faced with it. But also, because Parsley would rather keep her distance, now that's possible.

Unlike Kakuzu who is merely covered in that dark cloak with scarlet clouds, hiding any sort of weapon, Hidan's scythe is really frightening to look at. Even now, the hazel-eyed woman's face twists into a worried frown, as she watches light touch the three long blades. How he hasn't been cut by those things yet is a mystery. And it's even more worrisome that she's connected to the same man by the end of the rope he keeps on holding onto.

As if to remind her of that, the silver-haired man jerks on the rope, causing Parsley's to pick up the pace, again.

Sweat building upon her brows, the mage has no other choice but to once again bite down on her lip in frustration and tiredness. This hiking up and down has made her think that traveling on a shoulder wasn't so bad.

Out of nowhere, the three come to a halt and Kakuzu looks over his shoulder. "We'll stop here."

"Finally," his partner drawls out and then continues pulling Parsley along – she stumbles from surprise, but otherwise follows meekly.

At first, she thinks that another short night on the hard ground of the forest floor is waiting, but then the sight of the buildings in the distance makes her eyes widen. The village ahead doesn't appear to be much, merely blocks of houses here and there, surrounded by the forest, and a wall wrapping itself around the whole place. And small spots – people – walking across the streets, unaware what kind of people are really approaching. _Civilization,_ the word would sound nice in her head, if it weren't for the binds still wrapped around her hands.

As they make their way down yet another hill and closer to the village, Kakuzu pauses again and looks at Hidan. The two stare each other for a while before the taller man gives what could be described as a small nod.

The next thing Parsley knows is the silver-haired man standing in front of her with a knife in his hands. It cuts through the ropes around her hands in a second. Unlike when her legs were freed, though, the mage knows better than to experience even the smallest bit of hope.

"Don't even think about running away, bitch. Or else..."

She doesn't like the way he pauses, nor the familiar and bizarre expression on his face. He has shown it in front of her only a handful of times, but there's a clear difference between an ordinary smile and… something much more sinister.

His face leans forward. "I'll kill you."

As soon as he declares those words, he leans away. Parsley, realizing that she has stopped breathing, takes in a weak breath and tries to stop the uncontrollable shaking of her hands. Still, she keeps her frozen hazel eyes on Hidan, even when he turns his back again and she starts taking forcible steps forward, a lump forming in her throat.

 _Breathe._

The brown bag is still clutched in Kakuzu's grip, who keeps on leading the front. The small familiar hidden within it hasn't moved, yet.

If she could, Parsley would clench both of her hands into tight fists. Whether the stop at this random town will be good or not, doesn't matter. She has other things to focus on, rather than worrying wherever she'll be sleeping tonight. _Just hang in there a little longer, Sphynx._

"Hurry the fuck up!" Hidan's voice sounds beyond irritated, now – a sudden mood change.

"Y-yes," Parsley manages out and quickens her steps, but barely makes it few feet ahead, when she flinches and stops – the man with the scythe has stopped in his tracks and is once again looking at her. But this time, instead of looking irritated, Hidan is frowning deeply, eyes locked into hazel. "W-what?"

He doesn't even blink. "Since when do you bloody speak?"

Because of the down turning terrain, and how one has decided to walk at front and the other trail from behind, the young woman has become around Hidan's height. And it's for that reason, that they're standing eye-to-eye, but it doesn't make Parsley experience any form of relief or security. Rather, she wishes to be the shorter one again, so that she can at least pretend to be small enough to be invisible. That, though, isn't going to happen.

The expression the silver-haired man wears is accusing, and Parsley shrinks from its intensity, puzzled from the reaction. At first, she's even lost and wonders what she should answer to not deepen that frown on his face. She even starts throwing wary glances towards the other man who hasn't stopped walking and keeps on getting further and further away from them. It's quite a desperate thing to do. Wishing that the one who broke the bone in her hand would come and stop another possible scene. But slowly, in her anxious state, the amber brown-haired woman starts realizing things – she has indeed barely spoken during this whole "trip".

Finally, she blinks and fully feels the cold sweat soaking her armpits. The earth could just swallow her up and be done with this, but instead, she keeps on standing, unmoving and desperately trying to hide the shaking. _No, he can't have noticed… can he?_ Hidan has proven to be hot-tempered, foulmouthed and mentally clearly unstable, but… the fact that he has noticed something like this…

Her mouth clamps shut as if letting out another sound will only dig her a deeper grave. The muscles in her leg are stiff and ready to take a step back, but Parsley forcefully manages to stay put. _Don't move. Don't make a sound._

Magenta eyes squint and the growing shadows of the trees form a darker shade on Hidan's face. He isn't budging, definitely suspicious and doesn't blink. Rather, he seems uncharacteristically serious and that's another red sign. To him, her responding might seem strange, but for him to show this kind of silence and expression all at once is alarming to Parsley.

"You two, hurry up!" Kakuzu's voice is a lot louder than she has ever heard during these past few days – it's startling.

But unlike her reaction, Hidan merely clicks his tongue and whirls around. "Yeah, yeah! Don't get your fucking pants into a twist!" He snarls and turns his gaze back to Parsley who nearly bites down on her tongue. There is still a glare in his eyes, but he doesn't say anything else and turns to walk forward again without another word.

The very second, he has turned and taken a few steps forward, her shoulders drop in relief. This was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences, yet, and every last bit of strength feels as if it's leaving from the legs. The heart in her ribcage is drumming uncontrollably, thin strands of dirty hair cling to her sweaty neck and forehead and her breathing is quietly labored. _Calm, calm, calm, I'm so close._

Parsley moves, following the two men with cautiousness, eyes curiously and frightfully sweeping between them and the village they are approaching. Her heart sinks. _Is this where we'll die?_

* * *

Everything is silent – no animal, wind or a sound of breathing reaches anyone's ears. Maybe it's because many are holding their breaths, beads of sweat trailing down their foreheads or simply because there's such a tension in the air from anxious waiting. A long time has passed since this began, but nobody has yet pointed it out.

They do not want to break her concentration. Nobody says that either, but it's still playing in their heads. Ino's entire expression is blank, like she's in a deep sleep, not showing anything that she's currently seeing. Wherever her current consciousness is, it's a mystery to the entire group. But what's worrisome is how long she has been like this. An hour-long wait would have been acceptable enough, but now it's getting dark and the wait has clearly gotten its toll.

Chouji glances at his other companions, noting how his other teammate has stopped looking at the blond girl. There is a frown on Nara's face – a deep one – and an unreadable look in his eyes. They are sharp, though. Sharper than what his friend is ever used to seeing. It makes the brunette also frown, but it is from worry and concern for both of his long-term partners.

"Shikamaru," the said boy looks over at the older man crouching down next to him, "we should call her back."

The dark-haired boy's do not falter, but neither does the single black one of the other Jounin. The former gives a shake of his head. "No, let's wait for a little bit longer. It's possible she's having complications with pinpointing the location."

"For nearly seven hours?" Kakashi doesn't even blink and shifts what appears to be the first time in hours. "Shikamaru, I understand what this means to you – to all of you – but you have to think of your teammate as well. This is not a rational decision and has to stop, _now_."

The young boy's expression stays the same, but his gaze does falter towards Ino, before shifting to Chouji and that's where their eyes lock. The one dressed in red feels a stab into his chest, seeing his friend like this. They are all wary and worn-out by this tension, this wait that doesn't seem to end. This is supposed to the mission where they would face the opponents who caused them to lose their teacher, but instead, they all have been crouching here and waiting.

But most of all, something isn't right here. Shikamaru knows that and can even see how unreasonable he's being. But he can't shake off this feeling he has in his gut. The most logical option that their enemies could have taken, was to avoid any sort of obvious path – that's what he calculated, at least. And to make sure of it, they even sent a message back to the village to inform of this strange development, fearing that the enemy had developed a new strategy and would strike at an unexpected point. However, none of that has happened. There have been no messages for at least five hours, now.

His eyes drift back to his blond teammate, who is still remaining in a coma-like state. If she was in danger or in trouble, she would have woken up already. But instead, she has kept on doing this, searching, looking, but not waking up to tell unfortunate news.

 _She's desperate._

Slowly and finally, Shikamaru reaches out and touched Ino's shoulder. "Ino, c'mon. That's enough."

She reacts – a frown morphs on her face and her shoulders stiffen. She's back before those blue eyes of her even flutter open in confusion. "S-shikamaru? Is something wrong?"

He breathes out through his nose and lets his hand drop at his side but refuses to meet her gaze. "We must go. The enemy has not been spotted and it's getting dark. The others – "

"I can still find them!" Ino cuts him off, looking at all three men around her. "They must be only waiting for the night to come so that they can make a move. I can switch into animals that are more suitable for the task and track them down."

It's Kakashi who shakes his head and answers to her suggestion. "It's precisely because it's getting dark that we have to leave. The plan is not supposed to happen during the night. We would be more vulnerable if that's the case. Besides, there haven't been any reports of the Akatsuki members making a move in the Fire Nation."

"Then, there must be a reason why those reports haven't been sent to us!" The Yamanaka girl continues on and looks at her friends. "C'mon, guys! We can do this."

"Ino," Chouji says her name with a soft tone but doesn't continue. He's clearly lost what to say to her.

"We can't just give up. Right, Shikamaru?" Her blue eyes slide to her other friend next who finally returns the stare evenly. "We can't give up on your plan, now."

"It seems, though, that the enemy won't be showing itself, today," he says simply and looks to the distance where the sun is setting and then back at Ino. "Look, I understand how you feel, but as Kakashi-san said, we would be at disadvantage."

"But what if – "

He shakes his head and cuts her off. "Ino, we'll go back to the village. If something comes up, I'm sure that we'll be informed."

The blond girl doesn't look convinced and actually raises her voice even more. "And what if by then they have killed more people, huh!? What, then!?"

"Ino!"

She flinches, face flushed slightly from different reasons. Mostly from getting riled up and yelling, rather than getting sharply silenced by Kakashi and his disapproving gaze. Her eyes lower to the ground, but the frown returns, and she ends up giving a small peddle a heated glare. Her hands clench into tight fists at the end of five minutes of deep silence and of her biting down on her lower lip in frustration.

Finally, it's Shikamaru who breaks it this time around. "Seriously, Ino, we aren't giving up, just making a logical choice. We'll get them later."

"…how much later?" She asks quietly, frown still not fading from her face, but in the end, stands up with the rest. Although her expression keeps on telling how displeased she's – the curtains of the blond hair keep on shadowing half of that.

Looking at all three of them, Kakashi can't help, but take in how there is a sudden gloomy cloud over all of them. When this mission began, he couldn't have possibly thought of working with some inexperienced bunch – none of them had given that kind of image or attitude. Instead, he had been amazed by how cool-headed they mostly were and by far how Shikamaru had planned their attack. However, these thoughts are being pushed away, the longer he keeps his one single eye on them.

Ino appears frustrated, not a surprise. Chouji keeps his concerned frown on her but eventually lowers it to the ground. And finally, the third member of this three-man squad doesn't pretty much reveal a thing on his face. The older Jounin can pick up that he isn't too happy how this operation turned out, but at least he isn't outwardly showing it too well. Instead, out of all of them, Kakashi bets that this young one is forming another plan already within his head. But…

 _They're still so young._

Without another word, they all depart and start leaping across the trees. The silence is still there, but at least it's now disturbed by the sound of the wind blowing in the ears. This is exactly how they all should be proceeding – without any disturbance from one another.

Shikamaru is thinking along the same lines, but his brown eyes keep on glancing at his blond teammate. She hasn't stopped showing that dark look on her face and she's also the one who stays behind all three of them, gaze completely downcast.

"Ino," he calls out calmly and looks back ahead. It takes a second or two, but he soon feels that he's got her attention. "Your dad wouldn't want you to do anything reckless, right now. He needs you to be there for him."

 _Don't do anything reckless,_ is the hidden message.

Although, he may not see it, her blue eyes widen, and they stare at his back for a long time. Every muscle in her body stiffens, but her legs keep on moving and switching between the long branches on the trees, as if in a trance. Another silence follows and soon enough the Yamanaka girl starts feeling a familiar sting in her eyes. The forms of her comrades become blurry and it takes biting down on her lip to somewhat control that. This is exactly what she least expected him to say to her in this situation.

She should get angry, irritated that he would dare to bring this up here, while on a mission. There aren't any walls here to keep this conversation hushed, so even the two other men of this group hear him just fine. Yet, none of them look back at her to see the reaction, and she isn't raising her voice in anger. Instead, her lips form a thin line.

He's right, and that's exactly what calms her boiling blood.

"Right," she bites out through her teeth.

Chouji is doing his everything keep his gaze forward and not glance over his shoulder at her. He is worried about what she might be thinking, right now. However, it becomes clear, when he manages to catch a faint sniff through the blowing wind.

The older Jounin knows that saying anything unnecessary would be uncalled for in this situation, but even he can hear that faint sound. "His condition is stable, the last time I heard."

"…Yes," Ino says quietly, but he hears her just fine.

"Then, you should keep that in mind," he finishes shortly and picks up the pace. This should be enough to keep her focused, he thinks, while his own thoughts wander to other matters – like how come the ones they have been waiting for haven't appeared?

There shouldn't have been an error in their planning or calculations. It doesn't make any kind of sense that the two members of Akatsuki would be able to evade or stay hidden like this for this long. If they are after the bounty from Asuma, then surely, they would have started heading towards his grave or made some sort of scene to get there. But the entire Fire country is on high alert and that evading that kind of security would prove to be extremely difficult – not that he can see them going along with that plan. From the reports and what he has heard from these young ninjas, one of them is reckless who goes along with sheer recklessness. Perks of being immortal. However, they aren't really certain what the other S-ranked criminal's abilities are. It could be that it's he who is making finding both of them this challenging. _Hidan and Kakuzu, huh?_

His gut tightens and even the Sharingan eye under his headband narrows in silent thought. These events can't be a coincidence – the Akatsuki, the strange incident with Yamanaka in T&I and then the strange hunt party for a missing and dangerous individual that was caught by the ANBU and brought inside the village's walls… could it be that these are somehow connected?

Asking from their Hokage would be out of the question. Kakashi has seen, everyone must have seen how hectic things have been in her office, how on the edge their leader has been, how much the security has been kept in check, even before this incident with Kakuzu and Hidan. Has there been a change of plans within the enemy's formation?

And why doesn't any of this feel right?

* * *

The streets are murky and that's why by the time they are inside some sort of inn, the bottoms of Parsley's feet are covered in a brown mush. It has reached the valleys between her toes as well and the mage fights off an urge to kick the shoes off where she stands. Not that it would be much help – even the floor inside the building is no better than the outside's ground.

The said building is like one plain white block in the middle of the town. Its walls are chalk-colored, but pieces of crumbled paint can be found on the ground and on the worn-out carpet in front of the reception desk. It has holes and the color is the same as the mud dripping down everyone's feet.

Looking down, hazel eyes catch a sight of the hem of the dress and how slight and small splatters cover its front. Even though she doesn't necessarily prefer skirts or dresses, she certainly doesn't want to walk around with this kind of look. Although, she must have looked like a mess, to begin with, even without getting mud all over herself. _But seriously, more importantly… what's this place?_

The stairs creak, the wind keeps on blowing in from the half-broken windows and generally, the whole place's atmosphere is just…

The stairs on the side let out a loud creak, causing Parsley to nearly jump out of her skin. It ends up being an elderly man – one with deep wrinkles and a bottle in his hands – climbing down from the upstairs and heading rather unsteadily towards the door.

"E-enjoy your stay," the manager behind the counter stutters out, handing a pair of rusty keys to Kakuzu, gaining her attention away from the swaying stranger. The poor man looks ready to faint right there but holds his breath as his new customer makes his way to the stairs.

 _Poor guy._

Eyes green as grass, but red on the edges turn towards the other two people still standing on the other side of the room. It seems to be a sign and Hidan starts following his partner. Parsley, though, stays frozen where she is and that's exactly what earns her an icy glare from the taller man – her shoulders rise up to the level of her ears and she quickly scurries after both of them.

 _Is this place… an inn?_ She almost feels stupid for not realizing it sooner and looks around in slight wonder, but also disturbed. If it looks this bad on the surface, what would the room they are supposed to go into look like? More importantly, out of every possible night, why are they of all times stopping in a town now?

Parsley raises her hand to touch the heavy hood draped over her head and frowns, hiding her face with it conveniently. Kakuzu had pulled this rag out at one point before the three of them arrived into the village and pulled it over her head without any hesitation or explanation. It's still puzzling, but she has remained silent on it. After all, it isn't only her who has hidden her looks.

The change is startling – the stark silver hair on Hidan's head has become longer, shaggier and darker, almost hiding half of his face with the longer bangs. The dark and red cloak around him has disappeared into a greyish one similar to hers. And not to mention Kakuzu's appearance. His cloak has changed, too, but the mask stays on unless you count the part where his hair has been set loose. It's shoulder-length, dark brown and drapes over his shoulders.

But most shocking change out of all of this is how both of their eyes have changed. The magentas have steeled into dark black, blank, but sharp. And the green eyes – without any _pupils –_ have lost the redness that has been replaced by white. They look like any normal eyes, but… they are still frightening.

The dead giveaway is the giant scythe, though. Hidan has not bothered to hide it.

 _And Hana said that these people don't know any magic,_ Parsley's mouth forms a frown, but she keeps her eyes steadily ahead.

"Oi, why the fuck do we have to spend the night in this dump?" Hidan suddenly asks not too quietly.

For a moment, it almost appears as if the other man stops walking but continues forward in the end without looking back. "You were the one who kept on whining about the sticks on your back after every night. I would think that you would be pleased by this, so shut up."

A click of tongue pierces the thin walls. "As if. The whole place smells like shit. I bet you just fucking chose the cheapest pit around just to save money."

A shiver travels down her spine. Their appearance may have been altered, but the voices and the attitudes are just the same. Nothing has changed, but for a few moments in silence, she almost felt like she's not even near her kidnappers, but with complete strangers. _Focus,_ she reminds herself and glances ahead to see the bag Kakuzu is carrying. Determination – that she has not felt for a long time – replaces her mental fidgeting.

They finally stop at the last room in the narrow hallway and the rusty key given to them twists the lock open. But the inside is truly no better from the inn's other appearance. In fact, it's so simple and covered in dirt that one could describe it as a hotel room from a horror movie.

Hidan's head snaps to his partner. "See? What the fuck did I tell you? It's shitty!"

Luckily, the dark-haired man doesn't comment and merely drops the bag onto the ground next to a thin structure bed. The sheets are draped carelessly over it and specks of dust are painfully visible because of the faint light from the outside coming in through a simple window next to it.

 _Is this place really safe?_ Parsley wonders and looks around with a small frown, fearing now this entire building almost more than these two men with her. The floor planks creak under the weight and could break at any second.

"And you, _wench_ ," a growl is the only warning she gets before the hood is pulled roughly down from her head, "take off that bloody hood already! We don't need to fucking hide anymore!"

"Kyah!" She yelps from shock and takes steps back, not expecting the sudden rough treatment, again. He was yelling at Kakuzu a moment ago, so why is he directing his frustration on her, now? The mage looks up and regrets it immediately – he is truly glaring at her, but this time with his real eye color.

"You got something to say?" He growls out, frowns deepening on his face.

Instead of answering, Parsley lowers her face, finding it best to keep herself mute and meek. No doubt any word or other reaction would be like adding fuel to the fire. She isn't about to make the same mistake she did on the hill and before both of her kidnappers no doubt. If Hidan was sharp enough to catch the slight change in her attitude, who knows how Kakuzu might react.

"Enough," the said man who has sat down on the bed once again growls, increasing the tension in the small room. "Go to sleep, _both_ of you. If you make any more noise," his eyes that have also returned normal together with Hidan's are darkening by the second, "I _will_ kill you."

A chill travels down her spine and the young woman does not hesitate to scurry towards other bed next to another window. It's not clean either, but that doesn't stop her from sitting and then laying down on it. Covering herself with the long cape, when there is no blanket around, she watches the situation unfold with the entire body stiff as a board.

Unlike her, Hidan is obviously not budging. In fact, he has crossed his arms and is glaring at the other man across the room with heated anger. There is no sense for his irritation or anger, he just keeps on shooting his partner looks for another few seconds, before opening his mouth.

"Seriously, we could make it back so much faster if – "

"The entire nation is on high alert if you didn't notice," Kakuzu sneers, cutting him off. "The real problem begins with crossing the border, so we can't be too reckless, Hidan."

"Yeah, yeah, I fucking know that already," he clicks his tongue, but then a small smirk spreads on his face. "Didn't know that you were so damn worried about a few lousy Leaf ninjas."

A scoff. "Idiot. Those brats after _us,_ are the least of our concerns."

A silence follows – a heavy one. Until now, Parsley has mostly kept her gaze on the feet of her captors, and she remains that way. Still, the hairs on her body all stand up, like a cat's or Sphynx's fur. There is something ominous floating in the air and for some reason, she feels as if it's directed at her. _They have people after them… is that why they wear the disguises in the street just now?_ The thought causes something to drop inside her gut. _Just who exactly are these people? Also, did he just say 'ninjas'?_

The conversation doesn't continue, strangely. And it's only broken momentarily by Hidan who lets out a 'tch' before loudly making his way to the third and final bed in the room. The metal structure creaks under his weight and when he moves to change his position. The sound is quite sharp and loud, scratching the ears to the point where his actions seem to be done on purpose. But finally, all the noise from the room stops and it's completely silent.

This is exactly where Parsley's heart starts picking up its pace. It drums against the ribcage to the point she fears that the two men can hear it loud and clear. _T-this is it._ Her hands are shaking, and it takes a lot for her not to clench both of them – she still has that injured one aching from the broken bones – shut and take calm breaths. _Keep calm._

Maybe she can make through the night after all if she does this in time. The plan has gone through her head a million times already and there is a chance it could save both her and Sphynx from this place. And that thought alone makes her open her trembling mouth and start whispering.

" _Hear me n-now_

 _Before me bow down_

 _Listen o wise moon_

 _Make my wish come true_

 _Guide the lost into your embrace_

 _Leave no trace_

 _I am your friend – "_

There is a screech of metal and a second later a pair of angry stomping feet. "Will you shut the fuck up! The hell you mumbling about!?"

Her throat tightens, but the mage raises her frightened and wide eyes up to Hidan. Still, she doesn't stop chanting, despite how much worse her trembling has gotten. The magenta eyes are narrowed dangerously and a hand reaches out to grab the front of her shirt.

It takes everything Parsley has not to scream and stop.

"Oi! Kakuzu! The bitch has lost it."

Hazel blur from different reasons, one being the lack of oxygen. Her feet are barely touching the sheets of the bed and through the blur, she can see a large figure standing up and making his way over to their direction.

It feels as if her heart stops.

" _C-come together_

 _And grand my wish."_

A second later, the hand on her collar loosens and there are three distinguishable sounds of three bodies falling down to the wooden floor.

Parsley can finally breathe.

* * *

The very moment he heard the faint voice of his mistress inside the rough brown bag, Sphynx had felt his small heart tighten in worry. Wherever they have been brought to, he can smell the stench of both human dirt and stench of anything imaginable from blood to simple rotten meat through the fabric he has been wrapped into. The sounds he has also managed to capture are both disturbing and questionable and that's the reason why he had been so determinate to figure out a perfect escape plan.

He knows that Parsley is injured – no doubt that these two ruffians haven't bothered to even heal that hand of hers. He has heard every small sound of her frantically beating heart and weep throughout this whole rough journey and it has pained him too much to merely stay silent and captured.

There is no way that he could have or could defeat these two men. Especially that human man Kakuzu, if you could even call him that. From his cold exterior to the rough and distant tone in his voice, there weren't any visible signs that could have shown Sphynx his weakness. He's the one who has worried him the most and the main reason for his constant silence. And no doubt that this has caused his mistress to worry more than she already has.

By pretending to be too weak or injured, the cat has successfully been able to use the faintest bit of his magic to heal whatever mishaps have been caused to his body. It was a tiring task, considering how he wasn't sure if the men could detect his use of magic. But considering how they don't have any of their own, it was almost foolish on his part to be so careful. _No, it all wasn't in vain._ The last thing anyone would have expected was that a single cat would fight back after being carried around in a dusty and warm bag.

Still, once more Parsley has managed to worry him beyond imagination.

He heard the way the man Hidan had stood up and made his way to her, the way he had raised his voice at her and the way the mage had gasped in fear. Whatever he had tried doing, it made the hairs on Sphynx's back rise to their full length. He had been ready to claw his way out that very second.

And yet, his ears twitched from the sound of the dull thuds and the silence which followed after.

Even now, they are twitching on top of his head and he can barely breathe. He knows what kind of spell Parsley had been trying to cast, but had she been cut off by anything the whole thing would have needed to be started over again.

 _Did… did she do it?_

He listens carefully again when his golden eyes can't seem to see through the thick fabric of the bag. And finally, he hears a soft and deep inhale. It's Parsley and she's letting out a quiet sigh.

Footsteps make the weak and poor floor creak. The noise is the worst because it sounds like it's taking forever to reach him. That familiar sound of a pair of two feet he has grown so used to over the years is getting closer, yet Sphynx remains motionless.

It finally stops and right next to the bag he's hidden in. The next thing the cat knows is that someone is struggling to open the fabric around him, and both his ears and tail perk up.

"Sphynx."

For the first time what feels like forever, the magical familiar inhales the outside air. The stench is still the same, but the clearness of it is somewhat satisfying, in a way. At least, now he's free and the sight of the familiar face with long amber brown hair framing it brings joy into his furry chest.

And that's not all – Parsley has a bright smile on her face, despite the fact how her entire body trembles, when she hugs him close to her chest. The smell of her and the sweat fills Sphynx's nose in a familiar manner and he looks over her shoulder to see two unconscious bodies laying on the bed next to a window. The light from the outside highlights their faces and closed eyes.

"We can go now," he says, rubbing his cold nose against her hair. "Let's run."

It takes a second or two, but the young woman finally draws back and looks at him with a serious expression. He can't remember the last time he saw this much determination in her eyes.

Parsley nods and speaks in a quiet voice: "Yes."

Sphynx grins, a ferocious expression on his furry face, he imagines. And it's worth it because another brilliant smile appears on his dear friend's face.

They are once again free to make a run for it.


	15. Chapter 14: Across a thin border

**Guest: Subtle way is putting it mildly but considering how my OC has been in defense and escape so far, it's the right word. Thank you for your patience, too. :)**

 **Tani Nichols: Well, here is a new update a less than a month later. Hope you'll like it. And as for how Kakuzu and Hidan will be 'SO PISSED' when they will wake up from that little stunt Parsley pulled, you've seriously no idea yet how that's an understatement. ;) I also thought before something similar to binding those two down with some kind of spell, but then a flashback of how I wrote Parsley's escape from Konoha came around and I ended up with putting them into sleep. Anyhow, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the new chapter.**

 **Kawashima Sadako: Great to know you enjoyed the last chapter. Hope that you'll like this one, as well.**

 **AJSIMS: Well, I like to think that Parsley's personality is like glass or a porcelain vase. Once it's shattered you can pick up the pieces and glue them back together, but the end result will not be the same anymore. Some things stay the same, some don't. You'll see by continuing to read my story. I laughed by the way from the part of your comment where you said:** _ **"Or with her luck, she'll successfully flee from them and run right into leaf ninja."**_ **I won't tell what will really happen, but that sounds** _ **exactly**_ **like my OC. Haha! My chapters are really long in this story, too. I also inspired to write long stories like these because of how many writers I loved in FanFiction world did the same. When you look for example at this chapter, you can't probably tell that when I started writing a few years ago, I considered the longest chapter to have 2000 words. :)**

* * *

 _Italics: English/thoughts/memories/dreams_

Normal: Japanese

 _ **WARNING!:**_ **This chapter consists of vulgar language and gore descriptions. Younger viewers and fainthearted are advised to approach it with caution.**

* * *

 _Chapter 14_

 _Across a thin border_

* * *

" _ **Sir, I am not authorized to give away any information. I am truly sorry, but – "**_

The call is cut short by an angry – no, that emotion has shimmered down to pure aggravation – slam of the phone. The connection is lost and the noise of the receptionist on the other end stops. It's some sort of relief to the man standing in the middle of the hallway, though. His shoulders are heaving, squared and the greying hair on top of his head is a mess.

He has had his fair share of troubles and the usual problems that anyone would have in their lives. Whether it has been from taxation difficulties, rent or even that one time when the car's engine shuts down in the middle of a road trip. Everyone should expect these things to happen at some points in their lives, even if for once. Those are the kind of things that he has been expecting – he has grown accustomed to the trouble and stress like anyone else in his age should be. However, it seems that the entire world has become against him. He has been made to make phone calls to the police, to anyone available for assistance just to find his _missing_ child.

Nothing. He has got nothing.

Rubbing his face tiredly, the man backs away, nearly collapsing against a nearby chair. It's antique, passed down from his own grandparents ago and it squeaks under his weight immediately. He feels like sinking into the dust smelling and worn-out fabric covering it.

 _What in the name of Elphame are we supposed to do now?_

" _Dear?"_ A tentative voice calls from his left and the man looks up from the ground to see a woman peeking from behind a corner. She has a frown on her face, highlighting the slight wrinkles. _"How'd go?"_

Mr. Longboard opens his mouth, ready to answer his wife, but whatever he's about to say – a lie – dies on his tongue. He ends up merely letting out a breath through his nose and crossing his arms. _"Same old same old. Full of bullocks."_

The wife's expression falters, eyelashes flutter once and then lower to look at the ground. _"I see."_

" _I went and asked the boys to come and help with the search,"_ he says quickly after her response and purses his lips. _"They're happy to help."_

" _Glad to know some are,"_ Mrs. Longboard comments without a break and leans against the wall. However, after a minute of heavy silence, she looks back at her husband and slowly takes careful steps towards him. _"But – gosh – what if something horrible has happened to her?"_

The man's gut drops. How can it not? For the first time what feels like forever, he takes in his beloved's full appearance. Unlike him, she keeps her hair tied up into a small bun on the back of her head, but the faint strands of the bangs keep on sticking around in front of her face. Usually, her features would consist of tanned skin with dimples on each side of her mouth, blue eyes twinkling. But now she's more like a shell and those orbs of hers are surrounded by angry redness – she's been crying. The frown only keeps on deepening the longer her husband's silence continues.

Finally, getting somewhat a hold of himself, Mr. Longboard makes his way to her, taking a gentle hold of her shoulders. At the moment of contact, it's as if the glass is shattered and fresh tears flow out of her eyes. The sight of it makes his chest clench further.

Without a word, he embraces her and another second later long fingernails are clutching the back of his shirt. He ignores it, together with the growing warm wetness against his chest and the stinging spreading in his own eyes.

" _She… our baby,"_ the woman starts, choking on her own tears, _"must be so scared."_

" _We do not know for certain what happened to her,"_ he states, voice surprisingly calm and collected.

His wife merely shakes her head, burying her face further into his chest. The only sound in the entire house are the sounds of her weeping. _"I… I just k-know something has happened to her… Haven't you noticed? E-even the police won't say a thing."_

Mr. Longboard makes one mistake by glancing down at his wife. She isn't looking at him, but the tears are still visibly running down from her tightly closed eyelids. This time around, he doesn't even bother to stop his as they embrace each other tighter.

No parent should be made to go through this.

* * *

Parsley doesn't know where she's going, that much is obvious. The woman with long hair merely keeps on dodging and fleeting across the busy streets like a madman, not even minding or noticing the spitting cries from the people she nearly collides with or the strange looks she receives from the rest. This place looks rural, filled with mud and dirt from gods know where, so surely the young mage isn't the strangest thing they have seen. Still, she admits somewhere within the furthest corners of her mind that she doesn't exactly look alright to anyone.

Since when is it normal for a woman dressed in dirt-covered rags and equally dirty long hair falling around her clammed face to practically fly across the streets? Not to mention, she has got a dark cat riding on her shoulder, claws digging into the fabric and golden eyes glaring at almost anything that moves. And also… the woman's eyes are wide, pupils dilated and face turning white and red from both terror and exhaustion. She has already slipped and stumbled on the mud-filled roads more times than anyone could count. This entire appearance is a dead giveaway that something is not right and acknowledging this is only making the tension grow farther up. If it weren't for this very reason, there would be some lightness in this whole thing – this would be a comical sight.

 _Right._

Parsley rounds a small corner leading to a narrow alley. She continues forward, until realizing there is another street filled with people on the other side.

 _Left._

This town is truly callous. There doesn't seem to be any person here who isn't either covered in dirt or rags. It could be only one part of the whole thing, but this is the last place where the two of them – the woman and the cat – should be running at.

 _Straight._

 _Right._

Her thoughts don't have any order any more. There is only that high-pitched sound of her own mind telling where to turn and when to slow down to look at the area. It's only Sphynx, whose claws digging through the shirt and into the flesh are somewhat keeping her in reality. Either he does that on purpose, or from pure instinct. The familiar's muscles are also tense, and his gleaming fur stands on the edge.

But finally, Parsley has had enough and stops in a secluded spot between two buildings, leaning against the cold wall.

The muscles in her chest are expanding and squeezing back together painfully. The heart behind them does no better because it feels as if it's ready to burst out of her ribcage. Everything just keeps on hurting and she gasps for air that doesn't seem to be getting into her lungs anymore. And her eyes are pinballs, darting around the walls and every nook and crook where someone could be hiding. The sheer rush of adrenaline is the only thing keeping the smallest hint of sense intact – the next action is already forming in the woman's head. _S-safe… a-are we safe? They haven't g-gone after us, have they? Maybe, we should ask for help – wait, no. Who would even help us? These people are all…_

A soft swish of familiar fur brushes against the mage's nose, breaking the frantic thoughts. Parsley inhales, feeling the tightness in her chest resisting and base of the throat aching.

"T-think we… lost them?" She gasps and lets her shoulders drop. At the same time, the weight of the cat on them disappears.

Sphynx lands on the ground, stretching his limbs like simply waking up from a nap. "They won't wake up for couple hours, I think – "

"You think?" Parsley parrots but ends up coughing roughly.

He brushes off her interruption easily, tail flicking back and forth. "But we should still get out of town before that and soon. So, let's calm down for ten minutes and think."

"Easy f-for you," she leans against the wall again, clutching it like ready to collapse on the spot, "to s-say."

 _You weren't the one running a mile a minute,_ she wants to add but ends up closing her eyes. Once again, everything hurts and aches in different ways. Still, there's nothing more she would like more than to continue moving. It's in the middle of the night – it's quite easy to tell, judging by the stars – and she's merely a woman in an alley with a small cat. There's no way that this is the safest spot to stop in and rest quote: 'for ten minutes'. It's frightening. Everything in this town – filled with dirt, narrow alleys, poorness and smells – is terrifying and constantly sets tenseness on the loose. A burglar could be anywhere, a thief could pop out or worse when someone sees how alone Parsley truly is. Everyone who was standing outside and saw her running without any sense could know where they are. Now that everything has come to a stop and she's trying to rest, these thoughts come more strongly than when she was on the move.

And… those men still sleeping – _hopefully_ – in that awful hotel room are still within these walls. The moment they would wake up, whatever sick hunt or anger they have in their minds, it will all lead to a hunt. One that Parsley or Sphynx couldn't possibly outrun. And who knows what they will do, once she and he are captured again.

 _This world… is so messed up._ Her hands trembling, Parsley opens her eyes to look at the injured one. The bottom of her gut clenches for what feels like the thousandth time. The cloud of depression seems to appear whenever the broken limb is paid any attention. Although, it's no wonder that she feels this way. Her hand hadn't been broken by an object or her falling down in a strange angle, but by someone simply grasping my hand and… using their own strength to crush it in their grip. An inhuman strength.

She shudders, face paling from the memory.

"Want me to heal that for you?" Sphynx suddenly asks, noticing his friend's anxiety. And literally feeling that emotion radiating from her.

She's tempted to say yes, but the moment her mouth opens it also closes. Her eyebrows knit together, and she spares the cat a small glance. "No… I think I got it."

"Hm?" He tilts his head in curiosity.

In response, Parsley merely gives a weak smile and raises her healthy hand to hover above the left injured one. Honestly, her heart feels as if it's beating much faster now than when running and she swallows thickly the lump in her throat. She's still shaking, though. _Just… let it flow._ Slowly, there's a glow forming around her hands and even slower – it takes many minutes for her, but seconds outside her head – when she feels a shift in her broken bones. There is no pain, no sharpness or spreading numbness. Instead, the numbness stats fading, and senses return to the hand.

 _I'm… it's actually working!_ A smile spreads on her face again and soon the glow stops. Instead of seeing that tender hand with redness and bruises, all that is left is a normal and healthy limb. There is no trace of an injury, a broken bone or swelling. Nothing.

Hazel eyes slide down to look at Sphynx. "Do you think that Mr. Park would be very proud of me now?"

"The one from high school?" He asks curiously.

"No," Parsley shakes her head. "The one from middle school."

The cat gives a short nod, eyes dancing with mirth. "Yes. I bet my whiskers he would, indeed… but now we must focus on getting out of here. You've rested enough?"

The change is immediate – her shoulders square up and the smile disappears from the lips. Whatever ecstasy she had felt from succeeding in healing herself is gone in an instant. She even forgets that her hand was broken in the first place and looks around like a frantic rabbit ready to bolt. _That's right,_ the voice in her head whispers, as if it could be heard by anyone, _we aren't out of danger._ This isn't where she should relax or become giddy. Far from it. Parsley should go back to being scared and hide like a mouse before anything happens.

However, instead of letting out a squeak like a frightened animal or trying to find cover, she looks at her friend straight into the eyes. "Which way?"

His nose wrinkles as he inhales, ears twitching to different ways to pick up sounds. And as soon as he's done, the cat sneezes, swapping his nose a few times with his paw. "Ugh! We should – goodness me how this place _reeks!_ – head down that street behind you and towards the gates. I hear people collecting documents there."

"Documents?" Parsley raises an eyebrow, worry building up. "How could we…?"

"Parsley, dear," Sphynx speaks up when noting the perplexed and anxious expression on her face. She doesn't relax her posture but looks at him anyway to see a calm cat staring up at her with an extreme amount of seriousness on his furry face. However, for a moment it appears that he's exasperated. "Not a few minutes ago you took down two _barbarians_ with nothing, but a very basic sleeping spell. You could have done it at any other time, but you chose this place and thankfully not some _pit_ in the woods. And now you have healed your hand. And are still standing! Do you have any idea what this means? Maybe you and I had limitations in our own world, but here there's no one to stop you from thinking outside the box. You have magic in your use and yet you're acting as if we should handle this like any normal people and their pets! Honestly, sometimes, _just_ sometimes, I don't know what to do with you… Now, do you understand where I am going with all of this?"

Many thoughts pass through Parsley's head, after and during her familiar's talk. Firstly, she had felt panicked at the beginning of it and still does, because there's a chance someone might hear them. But when the young woman takes a look around and listens, someone's is making more noise somewhere near with all the barking echoing on the wooden walls. There's no way anyone has heard Sphynx. So, with that out of the way, her mind travels to everything he has listed, and it ends up making her hands tremble, again. All of which he has mentioned are things she has done in a heat of a moment, almost with air between her ears at every single time. Of course, she has been afraid during all of those occasions and only her body thought of survival before her brain properly could.

But there's a sense in what he's saying. Until now, the young mage has been taught not to even try using magic recklessly. There were rules, regulations, and limits to what one could do outside a classroom. This how anyone wielding magic has been obeying the rules of their own society, to keep their secrets a secret. _Or maybe it was all done to keep us obedient?_ The thought is horrible and nearly makes Parsley lose track of her thoughts.

Sphynx is right – there's no one to tell her what's the wrong way to use her powers or a single officer to arrest her here. This… everything around her is simply foreign. And she's nothing but an outsider in this world. Do the rules in here even apply to her? They have locked her up once, she has even survived a second kidnapping by the people of this world already. But her muscles stiffen and thoughts shimmer down, whenever she thinks of using magic for her advantage freely.

Swallowing thickly, Parsley lowers herself hesitantly. For the first time, she's truly starting to see the mud and dirt she has been standing on this whole time. It covers her shoes and the hem of the dreadful dress she wears.

"Alright then," she starts and bites down on her lower lip. "I've always wanted to try… _this_."

* * *

This is but a small merchant town, but of course, there needs to be security. The town is truly busting with life, despite it being way past the bedtime for many. And that's precisely why the gatekeepers have dark bags under their eyes. They have not changed shifts for a few hours already and merchants keep on flowing in or out of the place like mice. They are either traveling in groups or individually, the former being the worst work for all involved in making sure nothing suspicious gets in or out.

Nobody filled with smiles or cheerfulness ever crosses in to or out of the village at night. They're tired or drunk from spending a quick moment in a nearby bar to get loaded for traveling. Either way, the stench of sweat they bring is enough to set anyone on the edge, especially those responsible to handle them. Nobody would like to work in a place like this part of the gateway. But these men handling the job have no other choice in the matter anymore.

Besides they have been given the absolute orders to make sure their merchants respect the new 'curfew'.

Already boiling with irritation from watching others drink themselves into unconsciousness inside their wagons, one of the men standing at the gate point snaps. "C'mon, c'mon! Next one! We don't have all night!"

The next wagon filled with boxes containing gods know what moves forward, two brown horses pulling it. The driver pulls on the reins the moment he's right next to the guard, face disgruntled into a grimace. "What seems to be yer problem, young lad?"

"Don't have time for chitchat, old-timer," he simply answers and raises his hand, inclining his head towards the other guards who start climbing up to the wagon. "Show me the documents."

"Alright, alright," the merchant starts rummaging through a brown bag next to him and slowly pulls out parchments of papers. "Here are the documents for my cargo. Tis old man is only trying to go and sell some good ol' rice and wine."

The guard grunts, flipping over the papers, but not otherwise reacting to the old man's words. Behind this cargo, there are still people waiting to get permission to leave and he would rather not wait for the line to grow.

"The kids wanted to hop and go with me, too, ye know. Always talking about how they want to see the world and so on. Couldn't take them, though. Their Ma was already in a grumpy mood, ye see when this ol' fart didn't remember an anniversary. Let's just hope that I'll manage to sell all of these, so she'll calm down a bit. What about you, young lad? Any special lady in yer life?"

Instead of answering, the guard looks at his colleagues who jump off the wagon. "Anything?"

"No," is the immediate answer in a monotonous manner.

He looks at the old man and points over his shoulder with a thumb. "You're all clear. Next!"

The merchant huffs and whips on the handles, making the horses move once again. Despite his carriage being sturdy, the wheels on them squeak from the movement, not stopping emitting that piercing sound even when it's through the gate. It's an agonizing sound, especially to those who have woken up from their alcoholic haze to listen to such noises. Even the guard winces and lets out an irritated sigh – that man has been doing business here for years, but he doesn't seem to remember well enough to know that he has been giving that same discussion to every other guard on duty.

His cargo won't sell. Or maybe it will, but barely half would be taken off from the old man's load. This place is full of merchants, yes, but that doesn't mean they are well accomplished or… in other ways successful. In fact, the town is full of poor, barely living souls who merely pretend to have _something_. There's only this kind of security settings, because of those few wealthy people-centered into this place demanded it to be so. Well, the man handling the documents isn't complaining. At least, there is a way for him to keep his own stomach filled, unlike some people.

One of those _people_ is the next one in line. It's another man, younger than the last one, but scruffy in appearance and face red with unfocused eyes. A bottle in his loose grip confirms the guard's suspicion and he lets out another irritated sigh.

"Alright buddy, listen here," he starts and raises his hand to stop the man's stumbling movements forward.

However, his interruption causes a frown to appear on the drunkard's face. "Whatza doin'? Hic!"

… _I can't deal with this,_ the man with the authority concludes with one glance. He knows what can happen if someone is heavily drunk in here, he knows it would only cause more work on his part and he knows he doesn't want a rally starting near this gate point.

With a calm expression, the gatekeeper looks down at the drunk soul who glares up at him. "There's a bar over there. You can get the cheapest stuff from them."

"Whad?"

Bloodshot eyes blink slowly from the words, not really contemplating what is being said to him. Slowly, the drunk man turns to stare unsteadily at where the guard is pointing at and a toothy grin spreads on his face – luckily there is a sign on his reaction to show he has an issue with the fact that he's not going to cross the gate.

"Thangs man!" He slurs out and pats the officer roughly on the shoulder. "You're a goodie man!"

Not even cringing from the heavy stench of alcohol and the sound of broken vocabulary, he watches in relief as the drunk turns around, swaying, but nonetheless moving away. Maybe he's doing it on purpose or not, but where he's headed is definitely where the bar is not at. Either way, the gatekeeper lets out a quiet breath in relief, guessing already that this won't be the last time he has to deal with half-sane people.

However, whatever relief he feels is short-lived. The moment the drunk takes a few steps, he sharply staggers to the left… and collides with a man who's too busy emptying his own bottle.

"Hey! Watch where you goin'!"

"You 're the one who fucking bumped meh!" There is a shout back and soon the two are engaging into a brawl.

The small brawl results in a cheering of the people watching, though. They raise their fists, encouraging the two drunks to give their all in this. Some even starting to collect bets and money on them, like this is but another local pastime, which it is.

"Oi! Stop those two!" One of the men responsible for keeping some kind of order in this part of town shouts and soon more people come and try to separate the individuals fighting.

* * *

Outside the gates of the village, people who have already left don't even pause from hearing a loud commotion coming from where they have left. The fact that the shouts so loud can be heard so many feet away from the location doesn't seem to faze anyone. In reality, their faces are blank, almost bored and eyes just keep on staying on the road going forward and disappearing into the forests and hills. This is normal, is what all of their brains must be registering while continuing ahead without any glances over the shoulders.

However, there is one who is anything, but passive from this entire situation and they're standing right on top of a hill, hiding behind a tree and watching through invisibility towards the wall surrounding the town. Of course, nobody passing by that spot can see her, or the cat she's holding.

Parsley blinks, biting down on her cheek and regretting whatever is happening back down at the gate point. She should have been more careful when crossing it, but it seems that even with invisibility magic she can't stop causing trouble. Who knew it took only a moment of distraction from the thought of freedom fleeting inside her head that she would end up bumping into a drunk man? There's only hope that it merely seemed like natural unbalancing of a man who has indulged himself too much.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!_ The mage scolds herself and flinches from the sound of a particularly loud howl of pain. Whatever is happening down there, it definitely isn't pretty and her heart beats loudly from both making a wild run up here for a quick escape and from the slight guilt from causing the entire commotion.

"So," Sphynx starts, his voice barely audible, "that most certainly went well."

If it weren't for the fact that the spell keeping them unnoticed is affecting the cat familiar, as well, Parsley would shoot at him a look. But she settles on glaring down at the invisible weight in her arms and focuses on the few wagons rising up the hill and towards their hiding spot.

"Which one should we take?" She whispers, eager to hop on one that could take them as far away from here as possible.

There's a shift in her arms again. "Why don't we just levitate out of here?"

Hazel eyes widen, although, Parsley reminds herself calmly that nobody can see it. "Are you nuts?"

"I'll take that as an insult," he grumps out and a faint sensation of his long tail stroking across her arm makes the mage nearly jump. It's certainly weird not to see his movements.

"L-look, there will be _no_ flying – don't even suggest it," she finally spits out and starts to carefully make her way to the next carriage. It has a white cloth raised above it as a roof and would cover most everything. Strangely, despite the fact that they can't be seen by any normal eye, Parsley is shaking from nervousness. "Let's take that one."

"Or you could try teleporting," Sphynx speaks up again, not at all bothered by the tension or stiffness his mistress is facing.

In response, she merely licks her lips once – although a fleeting thought of throttling the cat crosses – before setting him down quickly through the back of the carriage. Once she knows he's in, the mage tries to heave herself up and looks back for a moment, making sure that there's nobody seeing strange puffs of dust rising up from beneath her feet. It may be dark, but the lanterns hanging from the moving wooden vehicle can still make everything distinguishable.

 _Here we go._

She jumps, hands on the wooden planks and the rest of the body leaning forward. The entire carriage is already swaying on not so steady and straight road, but no doubt how she lands with a 'thump' that it's obvious the sound didn't come from natural reasons. Even the cloth covering the entire thing flips and flaps from her entrance, momentarily bringing light into the filled space.

"What the heck?" The carriage's speed slows down and the cloth covering the driver's side is lifted a second later and a face peeks in to look around the load.

Parsley stiffens, staying absolutely still and reassuring herself that _nobody_ could possibly see her. Despite knowing this, though, cold sweat trails down her back and she stares widely at the man who continues peering at the boxes loaded into his carriage. His eyes pass her, look through her, never really seeing the mage or the familiar he has as stowaways.

And finally, when he lowers the cloth and everything around her falls into darkness, she lets out a quiet breath that she has been holding in. The carriage continues moving and the swaying it does brings some sort of comfort – _we are getting away from_ _ **them.**_

"Sphynx?" She whispers, her voice barely a mere breath. It's such a small sound and can't be heard over the rattling of the carriage. Still, in a few seconds, Parsley can feel a small warm body press up against her. The stiffness in her muscles fades gradually.

There's silence between them. Both recalling the events that have happened tonight. All the adrenaline coursing through their veins is barely starting to dissolve and it's the human woman who feels mostly distressed. There have been many times in this strange and terrifying world that she has felt safe, complete and at peace, but those brief moments have always ended so absurdly. Maybe it's because she's so silent in this dark place, head clouded and pounding from all the running she has done, but Parsley's thoughts are one big mess. There's almost no exhaustion, though. She's alert and finds herself growing tense and relaxing between what feels like minutes.

There's once again no thought put into this escape. They're traveling but to where? This entire world is so unfamiliar to both her and Sphynx. Hana… the thought of her makes Parsley feel even more discomfort, but also regret. That old mage had been the one to show the map of this place. The different nations – and the hazel-eyed woman remembers seeing a lot of them on a piece of paper – their borders, names… everything. But had Parsley memorized anything? No. Although, at the time there had been no thought in her head that Hana would end up being controlling, obsessed and… what she can only describe as a person needing help.

 _I'm such an idiot._

The night is not cold. Not like in those eastern lands where the nights are as icy as the days are scorching hot, but a shudder shakes her entire body together with the swaying carriage. She wraps her arms Sphynx, knowing that she could just fall asleep in here without fearing that the spell will be broken… but she can't.

 _Don't fall asleep. If you do, they will come for you._ Her eyes shut tightly for a second, face frowning deeply. If there was any proper time to think of home, now would be it. But the flashes of her comfortable bed and the face of her parents and brother bring nothing more than a lump into her throat.

Still, she allows a final thing to play across her mind. _I really miss home._

"Try to sleep, Parsley," the cat in her arms finally whispers.

If she was in the mood, the young woman would giggle helplessly, even if there is absolutely nothing humorous about any of this. _Easier said than done._

* * *

 _She knows this place or at least thinks she does._

 _Her steps are hurried and loud. The walls keep on sending off their sounds across the hallways and the building, like keeping their invisible eyes on her, the intruder. Rather, the longer the running continues, the more the entire place changes shape. These shapes and sounds feel nostalgic and the reason for that is clear; Parsley has, even for once in her life, been in these places and rooms. What's supposed to be a classroom switches between being a playground and a childhood home. Never really settling or stopping the change. Even the woman seeing this is not sure if she's outside or inside of her house, school or some other people.  
_

 _However, the moment the sight of her own bedroom fills the entire space, she doesn't hesitate to push what appears to be a glass door – strange, it wasn't there before – and enter the room. The bed is made neatly, the books are all neatly lined up perfectly on a shelf, there doesn't appear to be a single speck of dust on any surface and even the clothes have been folded neatly into an open closet. Last detail is of how the window is open and the golden sunset that paints the city surrounded by a mass of salty water. The room is perfect, so well-kept and maintained and so…_ _ **fake.**_

 _This isn't how Parsley remembers her room and she takes a step further inside, confused._

" _Hello?" Is what comes out of her throat. Like how she was running through the hallway, her voice resonates on the walls._ _ **Is this someone else's room?**_

 _She could never keep it this way for a day. Also… she can't smell the sea in this place. The only scent she's starting to catch is faint, but metallic. The kind which attracts anyone's attention, makes them experience repulsiveness like no other and cause the skin crawl like it's being prickle by needles underneath._

 _The mage wants to cover up her face, to turn around and run away from this place. The stench only intensifies, but as it does so does strange numbness in her body. It keeps her still, to the point where Parsley thinks she's being motionless voluntarily and her fear grows. Red spots fill anything remotely light-colored thing in her bedroom. To someone who's ridiculously romantic or delusional, it might appear, as if flowers have started blooming. Maybe roses. But the only thing she can see is a massacre._

 _Bodies start appearing every time she blinks. The first few startle her to the point where she blinks thrice, increasing the amount. That's when she realizes the trick and tries to stop, but her eyes start drying fast and she has to do it again, tearing up from how the metallic smell spreads._

 _The corpses ruin the floor, flood it with red that starts making its way towards Parsley's feet._

 _No sound comes out of her mouth, but her mind is screaming._

 _ **No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Stop it! Stop!**_

 _The red is now so close, and the corpses have formed a large pile in front of her. The top tilts dangerously and soon the entire mountain starts descending down on the frozen woman. She finally is able to move, though, and backs away against the glass door behind her – this time, it won't open._

 _Hazel eyes close tightly, a cry of anguish escaping from Parsley's throat. The warm, thick blood finally touches her feet._

 _The glass shatters, sending her down into a dark pit, blood and corpses following after. And from the depth of the red mass Parsley watches eyes staring down at her. They come in all shapes and sizes, mostly black, though. They reflect her frightened face._

" _ **J** u **S** t **D** i **E**!" Different voices snarl, like one single beast._

 _All in one, the nightmare shows and lets her experience over and over again all the times when she was so close to dying.  
_

 _A hand closes around her throat._

* * *

Parsley doesn't wake up with a snap. Rather, her brain manages to understand rather quickly the difference between reality and her horrible dream world. The sensations are not muted, she can feel the difference in temperature and the solid planks holding her weight. Still, the sound of a thundering heartbeat is loud in her ears.

 _It was a dream,_ she reassures herself, eyes opening to stare at the faint light line between the carriage and the cloth covering it. The sight of the otherwise dark carriage does nothing to calm her down, though. _Just a dream._

A sudden loud snore causes the young mage to literally jump two inches into the air. The heart now in her throat, hazel eyes slide all over the place in panic, until blinking slowly back at the back of the carriage – the snore came from the outside and it continues piercing the air. For a moment, though, she mistakes it for the sound of a snarl.

Parsley relaxes after sitting like a frozen rabbit for a minute. _It's just the driver… right?_ A shiver makes her body shake and the young woman's mind clouds with thoughts of something more sinister waiting outside. Nonetheless, she lays down and closes her eyes, desperate to catch the needed sleep. It's still dark outside, a rather obvious fact from the faint light. _Just the driver. Go back to sleep. Everything is_ _ **fine**_ _._

However, no matter how still she lays and tries emptying her mind… the snores are like listening to an army of pigs and she jolts up almost every time. Whoever the one owning this carriage is, he sure has a pair of lungs to make that ungodly sound. For a moment, Parsley wonders, if she could go deaf with this going on an entire night.

 _For Elder Mother's sake!_

Without many other things to do in this situation, Parsley finally starts slowly approaching the end of the carriage and lifts the cloth to gaze outside. The first sight is a line of trees and behind them an even thicker forest. A road on the side – the one this carriage must have been traveling on to this point – is wide and has enough space for at least three or four vehicles. It isn't like the smaller twisting and bumpy road that she saw at the beginning of this crazy escape journey. In fact, it's well-maintained and that tells a lot. They have traveled far and long for this kind of difference to happen.

Again, much more hesitantly, the hazel-eyed woman moves slowly. First, she raises her one leg over the edge, the other follows until finally, they both touch the grass covered ground. The moment they do, though, her skin crawls from feeling the fresh air blow against her back.

The night is truly quiet… Parsley is not really sure whether that's a good thing for her nerves, but the snoring starts again and reminds that she's not truly alone.

"Couldn't sleep?"

She gasps, whirling around and looking wildly around, not spotting a thing. "S-sphynx?"

"The one and only," comes a playful reply, although, there is an edge of sleepiness to it.

Sighing deeply from relief, the mage raises her hand, letting it glow ominously for a second, before unshrouding her familiar and herself from the invisibility spell. The moment she sees the gold-eyed cat sitting on the edge of the carriage, though, uneasiness takes over and she regrets the decision. Despite this place probably being in the middle of nowhere, this is also an open area. _Anyone_ could see them now.

"We really haven't had the chance to look at the sky around here, have we?" His question makes her worries slide away in a second. The cat is not looking at her anymore, but rather up at the starry sky above their heads.

Parsley tilts her head up, as well. The first thing that enters her mind a second after is if they have possibly jumped into space. The starry night is different in here compared to what they're used to. While back in their world there are lights keeping everything so bright that it's always like in the middle of a day in the streets and even during the midnight. Here there are no such conveniences. The light pollution is lacking and so the entire sky couldn't be clearer. It wouldn't be a surprise if a planet could be spotted from where the mage and her cat are standing.

 _Beautiful,_ Parsley nearly sighs out and takes a step forward, moving her head to look around from every possible angle. It's true – she has not taken her time to observe this sight before. Rather, now that she thinks of it, they have been too busy running through the night forests to truly pay attention to anything else, but to those who might be after them.

"It's so bright," she comments and looks at her friend.

"Never thought I would see a day when even human infested lands could have a sky like this," he says wondrously, but a sound of choking on a furball follows after. He meets her hazel eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring down the atmosphere."

Small chuckles come out of her dry mouth. "You didn't… we humans can be quite stupid."

"Yes, well," Sphynx starts but then pauses, when another snore cuts him off. His small furry face wrinkles and the ears flatten on top of his head in displeasure. "By my whiskers, can't the man sleep without a sound?"

For the second time, a chuckle threatens to fly out of Parsley's mouth. "You know… his snoring reminds me of Orick."

A snort. "Please, do not insult your poor brother further from here."

"You used to stuff your ears with napkins at night," she teases and holds in a laugh when sent a look. Without a word, the mage sits down, not fighting off the smile that continues staying on her face. The grass feels unnaturally soft, but that might as well be because of how long she has slept on a hard surface.

From the thought of sleep, though, she sobers up. Unconsciously, Parsley's hands fly to her neck, stroking the skin, as if it's tender. And even with no one clearly human standing anywhere near in sight, she feels as though for a moment there were harsh hands on her flesh. A shiver goes down her spine and the young woman nearly flinches, when Sphynx is suddenly next to her, sharing his minor warmth.

"I saw a nightmare," she ends up blurting out, but does not wait or look at her cat's reaction and adds: "You must know I've had those for a while."

"…Yes," he says, and she thanks him silently for not sounding tender or in other ways sorry. He merely said it in his usual tone.

"I used to want a choker, remember? The kinds my friends had. I… I guess I thought those things were very pretty and fashionable. Although I didn't see much sense in them, that's what I wanted to buy for a while… But where would I even wear those things?" She asks more from herself and lets out a silent laugh, looking back up into the sky. Her hands continue surrounding her neck, stroking it. "It's funny. Despite wanting to some _strange_ day wear one, I don't think I w-want to anymore. I-I mean, they somewhat reminded me of dog leashes – no o-offense to anyone who d-doesn't, of course – and t-the last person I expected t-to wear one was aunt Petunia, which w-was kind of disturbing…" she trails off, mind muffled and losing the point where she was going with this rambling. She swallows, once, then twice, when the lump in her throat doesn't budge. "Sphynx… is just keep on d-dreaming that someone is c-choking me."

Honestly, this all seems very familiar to two of them. When Parsley was much smaller, she used to wake up at night every nightmare and wake Sphynx up to tell him about it. The poor cat had been always downright tired but had also always listened to her fears. Expect, what's happening now couldn't be much farther from those innocent memories. This time around, her fears are realistic and haunt her from real experiences.

"I understand how you feel," the familiar finally sighs out. "I've been having the worst kind of dreams imaginable, as well."

This surprises Parsley. Sphynx has never been the one to tell of his own serious issues or worries, not in this kind of personal level. That's how their relationship has always worked, in a partial way – she's the one letting everything out to him and he's the one who always listens.

She opens her mouth, maybe silently wanting to act dramatically incredulous from his confession, but then silences that thought. He doesn't need that, so she asks instead: "What are they like?"

He shakes his head, tail swishing against the grass behind him. "Some ruffian always tries to skin me alive, gouge out my eyes or…" he trails off, voice softening. Slowly, he turns his furry head up, to look at Parsley who meets his gaze in curiosity. "Hurt you."

"…Nobody can hurt me," she answers back dryly, without really even thinking through what he has just said. Of course, after a second from her words, Parsley feels stupid. It's a complete lie, but she doesn't know how to make her cat feel better. There doesn't seem to be anyway and her hazel eyes dodge his golden ones hurriedly. "I've magic, Sphynx. I… I can control it now."

"I can't help, but think that you're still scared, though."

When she glances at him, the familiar has turned his face away from her and is looking up at the sky again. Hazel eyes lower and whatever she had hoped to achieve by acting tough is gone. He has hit a nail on the head and Parsley bites down on her lower lip.

"It's okay to be," he continues. "We should be… but nightmares are just nightmares, Parsley."

"Doesn't make them any nicer," she whispers and pulls her knees closer to her chest. A grimace forms on her face from feeling the roughness of dry mud on the hem. _Stupid dress._

They both jump, when rows of snores grow louder, but relax again. Sphynx shakes his head and Parsley follows this movement, both a bit perplexed how come they can still nearly jump off from their skins from the sound of the driver sleeping.

"We should put stuffing into his mouth."

* * *

"…What _happened_ here?" A voice is full of disbelief and wheezy horror echoes in the middle of the almost silent streets. People are whispering, keeping their distance from the small crowd gathered around a single building. Nobody dares to approach like they would be caught on fire if they did. Still, curious eyes keep on glancing at the small group of men who are standing in front of an ajar door. The exclamation is the only thing that hushes the rest of the sounds.

Even with the heavy atmosphere that could be cut clean with a knife, a few children peek from behind shaggy houses and windows, wonderous eyes eyeing the scene in innocent curiosity. Honestly, the fact that they do makes this all even more morbid than it already is. But anyone who isn't from around here wouldn't understand how normal this kind of thing is around this part of the town. Although, it's more gruesome than what anyone is also used to. Usually, the people would be walking around, like nothing has happened and leave it to the authorities to handle. But not this time around.

A single ninja, responsible for his own small group, quickly cools his features. Even though… the smell of warm metallic blood is so strong and repulsive, even to an experienced man like him. Still, he has to go in and look at the situation more properly. That's the entire reason why he and the others are here.

"Bloody hell," he mutters under his breath and takes the first step in. The rest of the men follow his lead, the last two standing near the door to keep civilians away. "Search the place."

Everyone is on the move a second later from the command, despite the fact that they could slip and fall from all the red on the ground.

The inn doesn't look like much on the outside, it couldn't look much even under all this blood either. But somehow, a sight without all the gore would be much more pleasant. There are two corpses at the entrance and at a wobbly reception desk combined. One man lays face down on the latter, his front can't be seen, but his back has been slashed wide open. The spine can be sighted, the ripped muscles and skin as well. And the blood that has pooled out of him – and is still pooling – has soaked the table. Whatever brown shade it had, it has turned into red and drops of it keep on falling to the equally soaked floor. The second corpse is in no better condition. It's another man, leaning against the wall, holes, and slashes on his torso. If it weren't for the guts dripping out of him, anyone could mistake the man for someone in a trance – glazed over eyes, staring at nothing. The rest of his face is bloodied. All in all, both corpses appear as though animals attacked and ripped them wide open. The only downside is that no animal did this.

The ninja walks quietly to the man on the desk, analyzing his wounds. That's one thing he should be looking at from a corpse because the injuries tell a lot. Especially with this one. The lengths and depths these wounds have could not have been achieved by a small weapon, for starters. The end result may look wild and messy, but the cuts are clean with closeup observation.

Slowly, the man straightens up, away from the corpse, and turns around to look at the ground. He had been careful when entering this place. The first priority is to search survivors who could tell what happened first, the clues would come later.

However, what's on the floor could be a solid clue that could help him, and others, solve this problem. For some unfathomable reason, a symbol has been drawn with blood on the dirty ground. It's a perfectly half-moon shaped, and sharp angles of a triangle connected to it are too striking.

"Sir! We found a survivor!"

The call from his men distracts the man from his search and he looks up to see a ragged old geezer dragged through the backdoor. He's pale, white hair messy on top of his head, but natural from old age and startlingly bright in the dim room. His entire body is shaking like a leaf.

The leader doesn't hesitate to step into the personal space, the moment he's released by the other men and falls down to the floor into his knees. "What happened here? Speak quickly."

The man doesn't respond, he doesn't even meet the eyes of the ninja. Instead, the two orbs bounce wildly around the scene, from the blood on the ground to the corpses, without really seeing a thing. His breathing is labored, puffs of breath moving the thin strands of hair hovering in front of the face – he's in a shock, hysteric like a cornered animal.

The time to wait for his mental recovery and composure to come back isn't long enough, though. The two men, who were carrying him from before, grab onto him again by the arms and hoist the poor old thing up to his shaky legs.

"Answer the question," one of them says with a warning undertone, but falters, when his superior raises a hand.

With slow and careful movements, the ninja lays down both of his hand over the old man's shoulders. "Calm down. Breathe. We aren't here to hurt you, sir. We're ninjas of the Leaf and we need information on what happened here, so please get yourself together. It's _very_ urgent."

The man continues trembling, but after waiting for a solid two minutes, the hazed eyes gain some focus. Whatever it's that has made him come back to reality – the firm grips of the three men, the gentle urging of one or merely time – it makes chapped lips open and his eyes rise up to meet the ninja. He's still trembling, but the expression is not that of a crazed man who has lost every brain cell he owns.

The tension rises, as the wait stretches on.

"T-t-t-th-they…" he starts in a violent stutter, voice airy and scratchy, "t-they…"

"Yes?" The ninja whispers softly, like dealing with an animal who could bolt off.

"…Th-there w-was o-one," the old man inhales deeply, "w-w-w-who..." his eyes trail back across the room, to the blood, gore, and corpses, and if possible, his skin turns ten shades whiter, before he looks back at the man holding his shoulders. "I-I… I w-was o-o-only coming f-from a b-b-bar…"

The three men look at each other, obviously sensing the terror the man is under. He has started shaking more violently and the two holding him aren't gripping onto him to be rough, but to keep him upright. They still need answers and quickly.

"And who _exactly_ killed these men?"

The old geezer flinches, like burned by fire. "A d-d-demon… _he_ w-was l-like a d-demon. S-slaughtered t-t-them like p-pigs! A m-madman… T-the e-entire t-time I h-hid at the b-back, h-he w-was s-screaming, s-swinging h-his scythe l-like a d-death reaper…" he inhales, eyes falling down to the ground. "T-there w-was a-another one, t-too. D-didn't s-see h-him, though, t-thank t-the g-g-gods!"

"What about the one who killed these men? Do you have any other descriptions of him?" The leader asks, not even bothering taking out a notepad to write this down. There's a wrenching sensation in his gut from where all of this has come to. It may not sound like much, but this old man has given few hints on what kind of murderer they're trying to find here.

The old man starts shaking his head, silently, again moving the wisps of white thin hair. He lifts his gaze for the second time, focusing on the ninja.

"R-red… red c-clouds."

* * *

 _At first, there is a sound of wind in the air. The next a low gasp from the man standing between the desk and the entrance of the inn. And finally, the sound of spraying blood and his hasty retreating steps back. The liquid pours down from the fresh open wound on his chest and then from his gaping mouth. He doesn't get to scream._

 _The old man's body is frozen, he's staring at the scene like a motionless rabbit. The drink in his hands is empty of any alcohol it might have contained, but he's still clutching it tightly and unconsciously in his grip. He had mistakenly wandered off into the backroom, half-lost and wondering where his bed was… only to crack the door open at the moment there was a flash of red._

 _Everything stops moving, breathing or even thinking in the room. Even the noises from the outside hush down in his ears. However, after cogs start moving inside his head, there's only one person who's visibly moving. The person's shoulders are rising heavily up and down and wheezy breathing is so loud that for a moment he wonders how he could have missed it. The black cloak makes it impossible to know if any spit of blood splattered on it.  
_

 _Those small splatters across the attacker's face are as clear as a day, though. The expression from the side is twisted, both into a frown… and a terrifying glare of a madman. The silver-haired being's teeth are visible, clenched and grinding against one another, the noise like someone dragging their nails across a chalkboard. Giant scythe held in his hands falls and rises in the air with the rhythm of his ragged breaths._

 _The side of the cloak flutters from the ominous wind blowing in from beneath the ragged door. A red image smoothens out and the shape of it becomes clearer – a cloud._

 _The old man's mind turns blank, as the injured man continues staggering backward, legs unsteady and hands hovering over the wounds. The mug in his hands starts shaking and without much of a thought, his free hand reaches blindly to the handle and starts pulling it towards him, slowly and carefully closing the door._

 _From the corner of his eye, the frozen and pale form of the inn's manager is branded into his alcohol-hazed mind._

 _As soon as it's shut, he releases a very silent breath he didn't realize he was holding in. The air in this small room that could be a closet is dusty. The knuckles holding the mug have turned deadly white._

" _N-no," a weak sound manages to come through the wooden door. It's a muffled by what could be water, expect it's not. "P-please – gah!"_

 _A dull thud echoes on and through the thin walls. The empty mug nearly slips out of the old man's hold from the sound. True, he has seen men start brawls and stab each other through all his life. Not once has he gone out without witnessing some form of conflict and brawls, but this is not one of those times._

 _Another scream, this time it belongs to a different person. It must be the manager. It's piercing and loud, no doubt people could hear it from the streets. The only problem is that everybody knows around here not to intervene. This scream is the sound of a dying dog._

 _The old man doesn't dare to move. Who knows, if that insane creature behind the door could hear him._

 _It takes a few moments with the noises of splatters and choking, but soon enough a voice screams: "Where the fuck is_ _ **she**_ _!? Did you let her and that vermin to leave this shithole!?" The voice clearly belongs to the attacker. It's shrill and loud and an image of rage filled glare is easy for the mind to form. He's clearly livid and the poor innkeeper is his next target. "I can't believe this shit! Start answering you fucking pig before I will – "_

" _Enough," a voice cuts easily through the angry screams._

 _For some weird reason, every individual hair in the old man's feeble body stands up. He's in hiding, unable to see the events unfolding outside the dark room he's in, but for some reason, his alcohol filled stomach flips and he covers his mouth. It's strange – with alcohol, he's usually so relaxed. And for some strange reason, he's on full alert as if his entire body is prepared for the worst while his mind remains muffled. He nearly forgets why he's hiding in the first place. There's something dark and sinister in this new person's voice._

" _Kakuzu," the voice of the scythe-man growls out, "this is all your bloody damn fault! The wench and that fucking cunt cat have – "_

" _Shut up," for the second time, the stranger's – Kakuzu's – voice cuts through the scream. Only this time there's an edge to it. "I don't want to hear another complaint from you. We're wasting our time here. Instead of doing that, you should start searching."_

" _The fuck you mean by that!? I was bloody interrogating this motherfucker until you stopped me!"_

" _And what fine job you're doing. He's particularly dead already," the drawl is cold, not intending to be humorous._

 _Everything becomes fuzzy – not that it already wasn't – and the old man sinks slowly down to his knees. He's praying silently, promising to the gods to stop drinking and become a better person, if only they would allow him to survive this night. He could start giving money to the poor instead of wasting it on alcohol, he would start looking for a stable job, instead continuously relying on his elderly wife. He would even visit his son and grandchildren in the future and stop avoiding his duties and responsibilities as a father. Rather, he wants to do all of this now, for the fear of death has taken a cold grip on him._

" _Jashin shall not be pleased with me tonight," the madman's voice has lost its shrill quality, but the abrupt softness of it is terrifying beyond belief. It has that tone of brooding rage to it like he's trying to hold it in or doesn't know what do with all of it.  
_

 _And so very slowly low chuckles send a chill across the air._

" _I'll decimate that_ _ **witch**_ _."_

 _The screams and insane laughter fill the night._

* * *

Parsley's heart is beating. She didn't expect to feel so nervous so soon, but here she's again, standing awkwardly on the side of a road, hood over her enchanted appearance and biting down on her lip. Her wavy hair has been turned into coal black, the shape of her face has sharpened, and the color of her eyes has melted from hazel to brown.

She would look like any other traveler if she stopped fidgeting and glancing around like someone is about to pounce on her.

Sphynx must be having similar ideas because he has finally grown tired of her nervousness. He smacks his tail against the tip of her nose, startling her.

"Sphynx!" She hisses and glares at her cat who returns the look with a blank stare. His appearance has changed, as well. Instead of seeing his silky dark fur with a bluish tint, he's a brown-white cat with orange tinted spots.

Shaking her head, the mage gets the message. They've come this far, it would be stupid of her to ruin it by showing her anxieties to the world. Still, she also thinks she has every right for that, considering what lies before them. It's a checkpoint, packet with people who are obviously not allowed to cross and who are displeased by this. There are guards in front of them, blocking anyone who even tries to set a foot forward.

 _Has something happened?_ Parsley wonders and despite her gut telling her to back away and pretend to be on her way to somewhere else she starts making her way towards the line of wagons and people.

"Excuse me?" Her steps stop in front of a couple at the end of one line. They're both rather small build, so she concludes it to be safer to ask from them.

The woman turns first to look at her in mild surprise, eyes darting from her hooded head to the cat resting on her shoulder. "Yes? Can we help ya?"

The husband also turns to look at Parsley and she lowers her gaze for a moment in nervousness, fearing her disguise might dissolve.

"I was wondering what's going on. Is this place usually so crowded?" She starts tentatively, stroking Sphynx's fur to keep herself somewhat calm.

The man snorts. "The ninjas aren't letting us cross, that's what. Been keeping it this way for more than two weeks we heard."

… _Ninjas?_ Slowly, she looks back towards the checkpoint and feels her blood freeze. The spit in her mouth dries up and it takes everything in her not to flinch and run. There are at least ten or more so men standing in front of the large crowd without showing any expressions on their faces. But what mostly terrifies her are the headbands on their heads. They shine under the hot sun of the day and the young mage is suddenly feeling very dizzy.

The woman must have noticed the change in her expression and demeanor because she glances at where she's looking. "No need to worry, ya know. They won't do anything unless ya try to forcibly to cross the border."

Parsley swallows thickly, her mind growing blank for a moment. "W-why are they even doing this?"

"The hell we know," the husband shrugs and pops his neck. "We could already be the gods know where, if they let us through."

"We've already stood here for hours," the wife explains and gives her a sympathy filled look. "Sorry, but if you are thinking about leaving this country, you can't. Some have already been here for days waiting for permission to cross. We civilians aren't really filled in with what is going on with the ninjas, though."

The man crosses his arms with a frown. "The lord of the land even placed a temporary curfew a while back. We're supposed to stay in our houses till it's over, they said. Bah! How are we supposed to earn a living for the family like that?"

Silently, Parsley meets Sphynx's eyes as a slightly dark look crosses the married couple's faces. She truly doesn't have any idea what's going on with this place's politics, or that this place even had a lord, to begin with. However, the sight of those headbanded people – _ninjas_? – standing on a straight line is worrisome. It's like they're afraid of letting anyone leave this place. With how the husband and wife have described things, it sounds like a large lockdown rather than a curfew.

And for some reason, the young woman starts thinking of the people she escaped from during the night.

There's no proof or any natural explanation of what or how. There's only a feeling pooling in her gut and the gears inside her head turning wildly that tell her this is their doing. All that secrecy while entering the village, how they had hidden their true looks and the talks Hidan and Kakuzu had… everything starts looking more and more suspicious, if possible.

"Maybe we should go home, dear," the wife finally sighs. "Might as well sell our stuff in local markets."

"And since when have we been able to make decent money out of _that_ place?"

"Oh? And we would with heading to the Rain? Those people are too suspicious of outsiders."

"Everyone here is desperate to go and sell for any country, dear. We wouldn't be going there, if the other border checkpoints weren't closed, as well."

"What makes this checkpoint better from those?"

Parsley is not listening anymore. She gives the couple a nod, though doubts they see it in the middle of their talk and starts making her way down the road. But only after moving forward a few feet cold sweat to trail down her back. _Don't hurry, don't be suspicious, act natural and everything will be fine. Just get away from this place._

However, the second she has made it to the cover of the forest, the mage lets out a sigh and leans against a nearby tree. Nobody had stopped her, but it doesn't feel like she's free from the invisible eyes that are making her skin crawl. Truly, just like how she thought back to her choices during the last night's escape, she had no plan. The fact that they have come to some closed-off border was never in her plans nor that the entire continent would be in this kind of strict security. _A curfew, huh?_ She once again starts having flashbacks. The town she had escaped from had been shabby, so she guesses the gate guards there had been a bit out of place.

"What now?" She whispers to her friend who keeps on perching on her shoulder like a bird.

"Do you want to cross the border? I don't think that even those two men – if you could call them that – will follow us there. This amount of security could serve as our benefit," he reasons calmly.

"But what is there beyond the borders? More of these ninjas to hunt us down?" Parsley sighs again. "Dear gods, why ninjas?"

"It's a rather amusing thought. To think I went and thought of them as demons, for a while," the cat says lightheartedly.

"They're no better from those things," she grumbles back, but then sits down in exhaustion. The beating of her heart has not calmed down and she rubs her sweaty palms against the fabric of the dress she has grown somewhat accustomed to. "Well, I guess we should try, but I don't know if it's possible to slip through from the side. We could always try the invisibility spell again, though."

Hope starts filling her chest as more ideas flood into her head. She could actually fool these people she fears the most and escape from this place. True, she doesn't know what is in other countries or if it's a safe place where she's headed. And honestly, she feels terrified to even try fooling these men, afraid to be caught. The latter is highly unlikely, but it's more her paranoid mind coming up with different theories of how this all could go wrong. But which one is worse? Getting caught by these men or those two mad ones back at the inn?

Phantom pain from her once broken hand sends a shiver down her spine. She definitely doesn't want to experience the pain from broken bones any time soon. Or even better, never. Anyone who captures her from now on could do it, but she would rather not face the wrath of Hidan and Kakuzu. They should be awake by now and that fact creates more tension in the air.

Suddenly, there's a sensation of someone staring at her and Parsley slowly looks down at Sphynx. He doesn't even blink and she raises an eyebrow. "What? Do you have better ideas?"

He doesn't move. "It's… it's not that. I'm only rather surprised from how you're taking this as well as you're. Usually, you would start panicking or even crying, when you're not sure of what to do… But you're calm."

This time, hazel eyes disguised as brown flutter once in surprise. She opens her mouth, but no sound comes out. She's shocked, surprised and even confused for a second. The times when she started losing it and bawled like a helpless child come back to her and she realizes how right her friend is. She doesn't feel calm, but she's… she's actually managing to think and speak straight without tears falling.

Slowly, she raises her hand to her cheek, as if expecting those salty lumps to come out. "I'm safe. I _feel_ somewhat safe, I guess?"

He only responds with a grin. "I think my little weed is finally growing up."

Her face flushes from the old nickname she has almost forgotten. "Don't call me that! Let's just go, jeez."

With a flick of her wrist, their entire forms start fading. Still, that doesn't stop the cat's faint chuckles from being heard and Parsley blows air through her nose in frustration. At least one of them is having a good time, she thinks and starts making her way to the border, heading to the side and away from the checkpoint.

The people, merchants or whoever they are, are still standing in exasperatedly long lines. In the distance, one more carriage is approaching with a bunch of what appears to be yellow wheat as its load. The ninjas at the border don't even flinch when the men at the front start loudly demanding them for something. This sight brings some optimism for the silently moving Parsley. They can't detect anything strange if they're preoccupied with other matters.

 _Alright, then._ Her eyes settle on a small metal fence between this country and the next. With how strict the security is on the checkpoint at the side, it's a huge surprise that nobody has probably even tried going through here, but this also serves as an advantage for her and Sphynx. There's even a huge tear at one point of it and a grin forcibly pulls on her lips – she's still nervous, though.

 _Here we go._

She steps over the fence's hole, the hem of her clothes barely brushing against the metal vires. The soil on the other side doesn't feel any different beneath her feet, but a sense of relief washes over her. They're finally closer to what could be considered 'out'.

Heart drumming, the mage walks calmly forward, eyes not even glancing over her shoulder…

" _No! Don't go there!"_ The sound is like listening to bells chime and she whirls around in panic.

"W-who?" She wheezes out suddenly, cold sweat pooling in her body again, hope slowly slipping away. Have they been caught?

Sphynx stiffens on her shoulder, claws slightly digging into her shoulder through the fabric. "What's wrong?"

Her face has lost its color, she can feel that happening without seeing. But no matter how she whirls and turns, there is nobody around and nothing ready to attack them. The voice couldn't have been hallucination, though. It had been true real to be a made-up sound, and this causes the young woman to take a step back, away from the fence. The wind moves the leaves and creates rustling noises, but that's mostly where it stops.

The anxiety rises up tenfold and Parsley's hands start trembling. Without answering her friend, she turns back around and starts walking with much more vigor than before. Her hair whips both her face and the cat, as she cautiously glances over her shoulders back where she came from more than twice. There's still nothing there and that's exactly what makes dread fill her gut. _I couldn't have imagined it. Another tree spirit?_ The last thought only adds up the fear and the breath in her throat freezes. _Just keep walking, walking… and walking and then run._

The moment she looks towards the distance, grey rainclouds fill her vision. The weather will not be doing them any favors.

* * *

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